Its A Grimm Life
by CaptnFangface
Summary: Reincorporating some deleted scenes to add to my own vision of the story to flesh out more of the Grimmiverse.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** A big Grimm fan, new to fan fiction but inspired by some great stories on here. Obviously I do not own any existing characters or show dialogue. This is my spin on the existing universe, reincorporating some deleted scenes, with the intention of expanding the Grimmiverse and adding my own characters eventually as well. I hope you enjoy, please feel free to review and critique... 

**Episode: Star-Crossed**

_**"Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour **_

_**it out on the earth like water." **_

**Re'eh**

"And both victims were gored to death." Nick says over the sound of the running tap as he finishes washing his hands in the bathroom he now shares with Adalind Schade; ex-attorney for the Royals, ex-Hexenbiest, ex-enemy, ex-big bad. It had been easier to ignore how complicated his life had become in such a short time, but even that was becoming more difficult now, as they settled into raising their baby in this wholly screwed-up family dynamic.

"Like with a horn?" Adalind questions as she soothingly lays Kelly in his crib and returns from the bedroom they have shared since the first night of moving into what Adalind endearingly calls their 'Fome'. "Yeah, then hung up on crosses..." a perplexed Nick muses out loud. Does anybody else have these weird-ass conversations over mundane family moments?

"This wasn't a Fuilcré, was it?" Adalind then enquires with apparent understanding pulling Nick out of his contemplation. Adalind is moving to the kitchenette now. "You know about that?" Nick asks curiously as he walks out to continue the discussion. He knows he shouldn't be surprised, after all he knew she was smart and knowledgeable, but even so sometimes it's so easy to forget who, what, she was before. "When I was a Hexenbiest, freaky rituals are kind of our thing" she announces in way of explanation. And there it was. Why was it so easy to forget she was a Hexenbiest? The Grimm's mortal enemy. Nick knows the answer deep down, but she looks like anything but an enemy dressed in grey casuals with that flowery hint of scent.

"Yeah, I was looking at the books with Monroe and Rosalee," he continues to block out unnecessary thoughts, "but some of the pages were burned. And we know that there are seven sacrifices that form the image of a plough, but we don't know what the plough is", Nick sits at the kitchen counter opposite Adalind now, as she moves around the small space fusing over making their baby's bottle. Adalind continues with her Grimm education, "Well, Fuilcré religion revolved around stars and 'The Plough' is what they called Ursa Major in England and Ireland". That ignites a long past memory from Nick, of an old astronomical programme he use to like watching when he couldn't sleep, with a scruffy English professor type presenter, "Ursa Major like the Big Dipper?" "Seven stars" confirms Adalind.

"So the killings are going to form a Big Dipper to match the constellation" Nick theorised, suddenly knowing they'd uncovered a big clue to solving this case.

Adalind resumes, "Yeah, maybe. The Aztecs had this ceremony built around Orion's Belt. It was called _'fire drill'_; why they called it that, I don't know, but every time Orion's Belt rose above the horizon, they would sacrifice a man on top of a pyramid." It was good for her to help. It felt 'nice' and in truth she liked Nick's admiring expression. Nick had done so much for her and had been so good to her, so understanding, so protective; not just Kelly, but Adalind herself. And it was good to use her post-pregnancy brain for something other than baby babble!

Nick stares at Adalind in silent respect and admiration. He knew he wasn't stupid, but he also knew that academia didn't come readily to him. Sat easily across from this alarmingly beautiful intelligent woman, he had sat down feeling tired and frustrated after a long day chasing myths and legends to suddenly breaking this case wide open. Yes, just another day as a Grimm and a detective in Portland. Nick knew it should be strange that he'd begun to find such solace in these moments with his once biggest enemy, but he was starting to care less and less about what 'should be' and more about what was his new 'normal'. He LIKED having Adalind to talk to. She was smart and insightful. Someone he didn't have to hide himself from, someone who seemed to easily accept him for who he was, to accept his crazy life with all its madness, its threats and yes myths and legends and make so little demand on him. She was truly remarkable and there was no getting away from this fact. Stranger still was that Adalind herself didn't seem to realise this.

Adalind notices Nick's expression, full of warm wonder and thinks has she divulged too much in her ramble and asks apprehensively "What?" All Nick can ask is "How do you know these things?" Adalind quips self-deprecatingly; "Home schooling!" A smile spreads from her eyes to her lips as she takes the bottle she has warmed up into the bedroom to give Kelly his late evening feed.

Nick sits there mulling over the new clues Adalind and he have just unearthed. Too late to contact Hank, it'll wait until morning. There was an early morning summit planed at the Spice shop anyway. They had to now match up the known current victims to the big dipper constellation. They also needed a starting reference point. It wasn't everything, but it was a big step forward. His mind wandered to how cute Adalind's smile was, the tinge of pride he felt knowing how incredibly astute she was. It wasn't hard to admit how clever she was, even how pretty the blonde was. So why was it so difficult to admit she was becoming much, much, more to him than just a convenient, co-habitating, co-parenting housemate? Nick's still struggling with that concept, struggling with trying to rationalise the person who he had fought at Bremen ruins with, well, with the woman who now cared with such loving tenderness for their beautiful boy. He was definitely enjoying these quiet moments with Adalind, coming 'home' to these moments. Like a proper loving family. As strange as that may be to his friends and colleagues, even to himself, it feels all too normal to him now. All too easy to slip into those comfortable roles and its cosy moments like this that just reinforces these growing feelings.

Nick shakes himself! Wooooaaah there! Did I just mention feelings? Well pipe down there lover-boy! No-body mentioned 'feelings' here... yeah let's just move on, nothing to see here!

But seriously, who can move on from this? This situation he found himself in. Yes this started out because of duty. Duty to his unborn son... Duty to what was right... Duty to a vulnerable pregnant mother... Okay! Okay... So calling Adalind Schade 'vulnerable' was probably stretching it a bit, but then again was it? A memory flashes unbidden into his head; Adalind stood in Renard's office, nervously biting on her thumbnail, frowning in worry, people threatening her unborn child, HIS long-time girlfriend threatening her life and the life of THEIR unborn child. Her lips tense with the confession that would change both their lives forever. At the time his temper had risen too quickly and too hotly for him to register the change in Adalind. It was hard enough to stop the rising feeling of shock and disgust he had felt, before she forced her hand over his and brought it to her abdomen to feel his baby's kick for the first time. And in that moment his whole world changed. Finding out he was a Grimm had nothing on the fears and doubts he had endured since finding out he was going to be a father. Let alone Father to the first Hexengrimm or Grimmabiest as Adalind had once verbally deteriorated into describing their offspring! In those quiet moments as they lurched from one drama to another he had quite literally trembled in fear of what was about to happen. No, he didn't realise those feelings at the time but register it did later. Later in the shadow hours of that sleepless night, sat in the hospital room watching over an exhausted Adalind and new-born Kelly, he had realised what that office reunion must have cost her; to walk into the bastion of the enemy and ask for their help. Sure she came there to bargain, but since then all she has done is proved trustful and in the case of their son, totally loving. Then another memory, one he finds much more uncomfortable to endure, increasingly more difficult to block; Adalind walking away from Bremen ruins, tear streaked and utterly broken, bloodied mouth forming those terrible words that have stung and wheedled their way into his guilty nightmares, "you've killed me, I don't have my powers anymore, I'm just like everyone else, I'm nothing...!" At the time he had been filled with righteous rage and easily dismissed her as a vanquished bitch who wanted to ruin the lives of everyone he cared about. He had so easily forgotten about the puppeteer behind all her actions, manipulating her, to manipulate him, those damn Royals, those damn keys, all of them, even the bastard himself.

Yet he had suffered that same bereavement when he too had lost his own powers. He had felt that same impotency and that same vulnerability. Knowing all about this wesen world, but no longer belonging to it, yet belonging to the human world neither! In the end it was ultimately too much to bear. His desire, his choices had led them to eventual disaster. Juliette's transformation... The loss of the trailer and his heritage... The death of his mother... Losing Diana to the Royals... All can be traced to HIS need to rejoin the wesen world. Nick decides to stop this train of thought. It leads nowhere good. It hurts his head and in the end it is just fruitless, and now it's in his past, and that past has nothing new to say. His present, his future has become Adalind and their son.

Meantime, Adalind was gently trying to cajole Kelly into taking more of his bottle. Sat on the bed she'd been pondering over a concern that had been growing. Nick's sleep had been disturbed a few times recently and he looked tired tonight. He'd had a few nights of sleep 'fighting' or something like that. They'd joked about it but she knew it can only be a symptom of being so stressed out! And who can blame him! The rise of Black claw... Juliette's, sorry Eve's, return... Meisner and Hadrian's Wall... Everything was 100mph, like trying to stand firm on quicksand! Then there seemed to be more Wesen related cases recently just like this Fuilcré one. At least she had been useful tonight. She was hoping the extra feed might help Kelly sleep longer through the night. She didn't want Nick to feel he needed to use the cot to catch up on his sleep. Her vulnerability had led her to ask him to stay in the room that first night. She was as surprised as Nick when she did, even more so by his acquiescence. Since then he had dutifully changed in the bathroom and took his place at her side. In all this madness she would miss that badly. Initially they had carefully and diligently maintained their no-go buffer like a de-militarised zone between them. More and more the comfort of their waking lives had sown seeds of intimacy in their sleeping arrangement. Only the other morning she had woken to the soothing sound and feel of Nick's breathing next to her ear as he had nestled into her neck. One arm heavily draped over her middle, she'd woken to finding herself stroking his forearm. That had almost given her a heart-attack! Not that she was doing it, but just how comfortable and natural it had felt. They had both mindfully ignored how they had woken, and exaggerated their yawns and stretches to regain their buffer zone positions. Yet despite steadfastly trying to ignore how waking like that had made her feel, she knew that it had been totally different to anything she'd previously experienced. There was no fight for dominance. No battle. No loss, no gain. No detachment. No feelings of being used, or being the user. And there was definitely absolutely categorically unmistakably NO sexual tension or heat. Honestly. No she never found herself absentmindedly smelling his shirts when she was doing the laundry. She definitely didn't appreciate the way she would catch him looking at her when she donned that white shirt of his she'd appropriated. A smile escapes to her lips. She did however want to do something nice for him, to make this transition easier. Tomorrow she'd talk to Bud or Rosalee or both! It was time to make Nick's life easier and mend a few broken bridges in the process. To try and show them all she had changed and that she deserved Nick's... Protection!

The next day...

She had found herself second-guessing her idea again. Ugh, the doubt that had ploughed into her life, along with the vulnerability of being a mother again had been infuriating. She knew why though, it was deep-rooted in losing Diana. The thought of her name was like ice around her heart, let alone when she imagined her perfect little fingers enclosing around Kelly's locket. That was Mum Kelly, Not Kelly-Kelly... The Kelly that had stole away her daughter with the help of the Grimm and his friends. The Kelly who was the Grimm's mother, and had sacrificed herself trying to keep her precious Diana out of the clutches of the Royals.

Amongst all the weirdness that has been this crazy new life, making friends with this tight-knit 'family' has been the most difficult. They had been monsters in her eyes. Stealing her child! What monster did THEY see for these good people to justify doing that? She had spent most of her life trying to live up to Catherine Schade's vision of her daughter. Adalind knew she had been manipulated by her, Renard, even her law firm seemed more interested in having a powerful Hexenbiest than having an Honours law-degree student eager to prove herself. And yes that Hexenbiest within had also manipulated her, brought out her very worst emotions and traits. She had prided herself on being a supreme queen bitch; powerful, cold and calculating. Drawn to power. Drawn to luxury. Everything, she thought she deserved and had a right to. None of it real, from the first moment she had held Kelly everything else faded away. It might of been the same when she had held Diana if she'd been able to take the opportunity without all that running for their lives. Before she had lost her, and had gone mad for a while. She had been determined that this would be different. In that moment she had asked her enemy, a man who had helped steal away her daughter not to "hate her anymore" because "we can't be like we was...!" She would not lose this child. Everything else was negotiable. So she'd negotiated her way into sharing her child's care with that very man and sharing the same living space with her child's father, our very own Grimm, now her very own Grimm. No, it was all too soon, too complicated. When Trubel had asked her if she loved Nick, she had spluttered and mumbled through her startled reply. He had protected her, cared for her and their baby and had showed great tenderness towards her. Was her true feelings' now starting to show through? Was it just a form of Stockholm syndrome!? Now they had even shared a kiss. Shared a moment that was playing like an unbidden movie whenever she let her guard down, and to be honest her guard was getting pretty much overwhelmed by these new 'complications'. No there was nothing 'safe' about them! She felt so unsure, so untethered. No job, no powers, no independence. She was all-in and in truth it scared her to hell. She knew she and Kelly were very vulnerable. Vulnerable to old judgements of her old self. Vulnerable to a change of mind and heart from Nick. Vulnerable to age old prejudices. Old childhood anxieties of feeling not good enough, not strong enough, not powerful enough were again in play. She had been the archetypal powerful witch with daddy and trust issues lurching from one manipulator to another lashing out at everyone and the world. She had lost her own Hexenbiest and whether it was because of the contaminatio ritualis or the fact during it, she had to gain possession over a new Hexenbiest; though it felt older and more powerful, it didn't dominate her like her own one did. She had been in charge. She'd been able to choose to suppress it when she needed to. Had wanted it stayed gone. Adalind could now look back on her old self and she didn't like what she saw. Maybe she was seeing what they had seen, when they had made that terrible decision about her little baby girl. She liked the new Adalind Schade. She actually liked her new life. She had 'friends'. Rosalee and Bud had been surprisingly kind and welcoming to her. Sure, there were aspects she felt she needed to change, returning to work for one. She was NO mans 'kept' woman. But there was no pressure on her to do so, it was her choice. So she chose Nick, the one person who asked nothing of her but to be the mother she actually wanted to be. Although, she had already chosen when she had accepted Nick's protection and hadn't bolted with Kelly from Nick's old house while he slept. Adalind had chosen him when she'd chosen Kelly's name, and yes, chosen Nick, when she'd asked him to sleep next to her, in this noisy armoured warehouse conversion just so she could feel safe and secure enough to sleep. He was still next to her. She was still able to be vulnerable with him and still feel safe in their fome. Christ, she can at least admit to herself she wanted him next to her each and every night after that.

She reaches for her mobile phone and fires off a text. If she was going to do this then she needed some help.

A little while later she is pulling down the gate on the elevator heading toward the garage. Kelly in his car seat, keys to Juliette's old car in her hand and a changing bag armed with enough baby products to re-stock a small independent nation state!

Soon she's heading towards Fulton Street and Rosalee's Exotic Spice and Tea shop. By the time she arrives, the Scooby gang have all headed out after processing the clues Nick and her had deciphered yesterday evening. The shop feels suddenly reflective in its quietness after the hustle and bustle of that earlier Grimm collaboration. Rosalee is mixing a tea that will hopefully prove soothing to a newly nursing Hexenbiest (suppressed) mother. Nick had mentioned to her quietly he was concerned about how all the current stresses may be affecting Adalind. The care that was evident in his eyes as he talked to her about Adalind was undeniable, albeit not obvious to the Grimm himself. She smiled wryly shaking her head at that thought.

The shop bell alerts her to a new arrival but before she can move, she hears Adalind shouting her. "I'm in the back Adalind, why don't you bring that lovely young man back here so his Aunty Rosalee can munch him!" Adalind quickly sheds her coat and is soon sitting with Kelly freed of his restraints and gurgling on her knee. Rosalee enters with a brewing tea pot and mugs on a tray. She deposits them on the table, "can I have a cuddle?" she asks Adalind. Rosalee is soon hugging Kelly "hello young man... wow haven't you got bigger" she directs that last comment to Adalind. "I'm sorry we haven't been to see you sooner, I certainly know I'm carrying him now, he's my own little post-birth workout...!" Adalind says laughing. "Listen, Rosalee, I haven't had a proper chance to thank you for everything... You and Monroe have been incredible, you know... And you didn't have to be... Not to me..." Adalind starts to ramble before her nerve breaks. "Don't be silly Adalind... Nick and you could hardly be expected to do everything, not with what you two have had to go through... I should imagine it's been a big learning curve for the both of you, now that you're living together, let alone this little guy..." she's tickling Kelly under the chin to his great delight. "You're really good with him... I'm surprised Monroe and you haven't...?" Adalind's question tails off as she sees a pang of pain ripple across Rosalee's face, "Oh I'm so sorry, I hope I haven't... Ermmm... I didn't mean to upset... Oh God, me and my big mouth..." Adalind is in full retreat now.

"Adalind... Adalind... It's okay, honest... It just hasn't been the right time for us, not that a Fuchsbau-Blutbad marriage is particularly common, we're hopeful, you know... when the time is right..." Rosalee says putting a reassuring hand on top of Adalind's trying to put her more at ease after her verbal diarrhoea. "I'm sorry, I just am so thankful..." Adalind shoots Rosalee a small smile.

"I know..." Rosalee sighs, "So what was your text all about...?" she decides to change tack. "All you said was you wanted my help doing something for Nick?" Rosalee says now intrigued. "Well, I wanted to do something nice for Nick, he's been so good, I just thought with everything going on, he deserves something non-deathy, non-black-claw, non-grimm to enjoy!" Adalind starts, "and I thought it'd be an opportune moment to try and fix some broken bridges, you know after everything I've done..." she finishes with a nervous smile.

"Oh wow!" Rosalee pauses a moment, a little taken aback..." Yeah I think non-deathy and black-clawey might be exactly what the doctor ordered. That's a lovely idea Adalind, what had you in mind?"

"That's it... I'm not so sure... I was sort of thinking food and friends in some way, especially with Kelly being so young, we're...No... I'm not ready to leave him just yet..." Adalind finishes quietly. Rosalee returns a comforting hand "Hey, that's totally understandable, so where you thinking BBQ cook-out or maybe a dinner party of sorts?" Adalind considers the suggestions, "Definitely I think Dinner, we're not really set-up for a BBQ at the loft, and, well a dinner isn't at the whim of the weather either".

"Okay, now we're cooking, quite literally..." Rosalee says as she gently puts down Kelly, who is now sleeping in her arms, "let me put this tired boy in his chair and we can start menu planning..." Rosalee continues.

Soon the two of them are sipping on their tea as they start to discuss a menu theme and what ingredients will be needed.

A beep goes off alerting Adalind to a text; _\- Hey Adalind, lovely to hear from you, sorry couldn't come to Rosalee's but I'm heading back to the repair shop if you can pop in... Bud –_

"Right, that was Bud, I promised to drop in and show off Kelly. He was so good to me with the whole hiding out thing, it's weird, but he was really, really, sweet" Adalind explains, "and I don't think I've ever eaten so much... He was a feeding machine!" They are both laughing at that with knowing grins. Eisbibers are renowned for their generosity and even more so in their pleasure in sharing food. Phoebe Wurstner's pies were especially known to the Scooby gang as marvellous culinary delights.

A short while later, and with Rosalee's help, Adalind is putting Kelly in the car and has sent a message off to Bud saying she'll be there soon.

As she walks into Bud Wurstner's Refrigerator repair shop she can hear cursing coming form the back of a large white fridge blocking the view of Bud, "I'll be right with you, if I can JUST... GET... THIS... DAMN... PIPE...Freeee..."grunts punctuate the words,"Oh you little bugger!"

"Hello Bud, I hope you're not going to teach my baby cuss words at his age!" Adalind says with a small chuckle.

Standing, "Oh hello there Adalind, I'm just battling this fridge over its broken pipe, personally I think the fridge is winning, stupid model!" adds Bud ruefully giving it a kick. "So where is the young one, I hope he's behaving for you, are you getting much sleep? I know our eldest didn't sleep for his first 3 years I think. Come and sit down, have you had a drink?"

"I'm fine; Rosalee plied me with plenty of tea this afternoon. Actually, I wanted to see if you'd be free this weekend. I was going to do a dinner at the loft. I'm sure Nick and Hank are off and I've just asked about Rosalee and Monroe and they'll be okay, I do want you and Mrs Wurstner to come as well, as my way of saying thank you to everyone"

Bud's face contorts in exaggerated anguish. "Oh Adalind. Errm... errrr... You know I'd love to. There's nothing I'd of loved more. It's just, well it's the wife, she has had to go and look after the mother-in-law after a little fall..."

"Oh Bud I hope everything's okay" Adalind replies with some concern.

"No its okay, she just can't get about, so the wife is going down there with the youngest and looking after her for a week or two. It's nothing serious, but I'll be kiddy sitting while they're at school. But, seriously, I'm so sorry. You think Nick will understand? He won't think I'm being funny will he? You don't think I'm being funny do you? It's my fault, I should be available..." Bud is in a full-on customary 'Bud' monologue now. "Oh Bud", Adalind pacifies him, she feels an affinity towards Bud, who she spent the most time with prior to the birth of Kelly; a nervous, anxious, warm-hearted and affable father of three, he had an innate understanding of how to care for a heavily pregnant wesen and he'd discarded that weak and cowardly stereotype of an Eisbiber her fellow witches easily assumed. He'd befriended a Grimm and a Blutbad, looked after a pregnant Hexenbiest concealing her from a very powerful 'made' Hexenbiest.

Bud just like all the other members of the Scooby gang, this 'family', sheds so many stereotypes and challenges any and all normal Grimm/Wesen/Kehrseite relationships.

She's got Kelly out of his chair and handing him over to Bud, who starts another trundle "so has there been any hint of what the little guy might be, you know, any Grimmness or Hexeny thing going on? I suppose it's a bit early but you never know, not too many Grimm-Hexenbiest babies to really know..." And with that Bud hits on the crux of a worry Adalind is desperately trying to ignore. "You're right, I don't know of any other recorded Grimm/Hexenbiest child, it worries me a bit, how others might react, but I'm going to love him no matter what..." Adalind adds with the upmost conviction at the end.

Buds normal anxious look softens, "Of course you will, and Nick, he's a little miracle and he couldn't have two parents more able to love and protect him than you and Nick!" With that they're sharing baby stories as they dissolve into laughter about the funnier aspects of newbie parenting. Especially as Bud shares a time he was so tired after the birth of his middle child he went to the fridge and found his keys, wallet and mobile phone in a pie dish, and the pumpkin pie from the dish in his work trousers pocket!

Soon Kelly was getting tired and cranky from all the mauling and attention he'd been having all day. So with that Adalind bayed Bud farewell and not to worry about dinner, but promised to go over and see him and Phoebe once she was back from his mother-in-laws. She also promised to take home more pie for Nick!

Adalind had been home alone all evening. She'd soothed and quietened Kelly with a relaxing bath, a damn good feed and a lot of patience. She herself was now relaxing with a hot chocolate and a good book. Much like Monroe, Adalind herself was a bit of a history nerd, especially wesen history, so finding a damaged Grimm book Nick had brought home was a real treasure trove to her. She'd initially flicked through it, then 50minutes later realised she was curled up with a blanket eagerly digesting the books contents!

Just before midnight a wet and dripping Nick dragged his soggy self into the loft on the back of an hour long thunderstorm whilst collecting evidence and witness statements. He was surprised to see Adalind still awake and met her up turning face with a welcoming smile. "I hope you haven't been waiting up for me!" Adalind shook her head and had dropped the Grimm book at her side and was moving to the kitchenette. Nick had retrieved a towel from the bathroom where he'd hung up his coat dripping over the bath. As he came out of the bathroom towelling his air, he was greeted with a freshly brewed steaming cup of coffee, gratefully receiving it "Oh my god, I could kiss you... you're a lifesaver!" He visibly blanched at his spoken miss-step. After refusing anything to eat, telling Adalind he'd managed to smuggle a sandwich earlier, he went over to the sofa and looked at what Adalind had been engrossed in as he'd gotten in. "I hope you don't mind, Nick, I wasn't deliberately being nosy, but I just couldn't help it..." Adalind directed at Nick as she saw what he was looking at, "I've never seen a Grimm book before, it's incredible!" she finished with a small smile.

"Of course not" Nick assured her, "It's a bit battered and burnt after what happened at the trailer" he tailed off as if caught up in a memory. "So, did you manage to catch who was carrying out the Fuilcré ritual?" Adalind shoots at Nick to pull him out of an obviously sad recollection.

"Yep, it was the lumber Company owner... He was also a Fuilcré, but didn't get the -_No Sacrifice Rituals_\- memo" said Nick with a wry look, "Unfortunately he didn't give Hank and I a choice..."

"Oh Nick, I'm so sorry, I know that's not what you wanted" she said with a regretful squeeze of his arm.

Nick ruefully added "Yeah, he'd even woged right in front of his intended sacrifice, I left the guy ranting and raving at what he saw to Wu" causing a look of shock on Adalind's face, "yeah, exactly!"

"What has Wu done with him? Nick It's really dangerous to wesen having a Kehrseite out there screaming about us, especially with all this Black Claw lunacy going on" Adalind pressed with a real look of concern. "Don't worry, he was a homeless drifter and with a definite drinking issue" Adalind seemed to relax as Nick continued, "When I left him, Wu was dumping him in an ambulance after persuading him he'd been hallucinating under the influence, and even if HE didn't believe it, no-one else would believe him."

Adalind decides now is the time to tell Nick about her plan. "Nick, I was thinking, listen, I'd like to do something nice for you, I thought a dinner here Saturday for everyone" Adalind looks to quell Nick's obvious in-coming protest "You and Hank are free and I was hoping you could check with Wu tomorrow. I think I need to Nick, not just for you, but I need to make amends as well... You know, Hank, Wu."

"I thought we'd agreed to no more recriminations Adalind?" Nick sighs. Adalind gently takes Nick's hand, "I know that's what WE have said", she's looking into his face in earnest now "but I've hurt more than you Nick, I think I really need to do this".

Nick is considering what Adalind has told him, obvious his protective instincts are working overtime. "I spoke to Rosalee and she thought it was a good idea, especially with everything that's been going on, I'd like to thank everyone for everything they've done, you understand that don't you?"

"I guess... I didn't really want a lot of people knowing about this place though..." Nick admits.

"I know, but we're only talking the Scooby gang here..." Nick is smiling at Adalind's use of her nickname for everyone. If it helps their transition into whatever this is, maybe it was needed. "Okay looks like I'll be your sous chef, but I warn you I'll need constant supervision" he jokes. "Are you calling me bossy?" Adalind says with a wicked grin now. She's already retrieved her note pad from the table and is motioning to Nick to check out the menu plan. "You sure this is going to be okay? I wasn't joking about being a basic cook"

"Hey, you're not giving my organisational skills enough credit!" she's moved closer to Nick now, he's suddenly very aware of how close and warm she feels next to him. She takes his hand in both of hers, "you know if you put yourself in my hands I'll be gentle... Until you don't want me to be that is..." she's up and heading to the bedroom that wicked glint still in her eyes. She looks back, "I'm heading off to bed now I know you're back home safe..." and with that she disappears into the bedroom.

Nick sits there contemplating what just happened. There are a couple of things that pop out at him. Firstly, she called this place home and she wanted to know he was back safe. He can't help but think that's not only self-preservation. Secondly, he can't help but feel he just got played. Not maliciously but definitely that was the old confident Adalind seeping through. The Adalind who sat behind bars and told him together they could of 'had some fun'! He smiled at that thought. You know what, he was definitely starting to think she was right, and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. With that he heads to the bathroom to change and take up his place next to Adalind, and you never know, he may wake up with her in his arms again...


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** A big Grimm fan, new to fan fiction but inspired by some great stories on here. Obviously I do not own any existing characters or show dialogue. This is my spin on the existing universe, reincorporating some deleted scenes, with the intention of expanding the Grimmiverse and adding my own characters eventually as well. I hope you enjoy, please feel free to review and critique...

**Episode: Map of the Seven Knights**

_**"History is the nightmare **_

_**from which I am trying to awake." **_

**Ulysses**

Adalind is fighting hard. Fighting and losing. Her enemy was remorseless. She refuses to admit to her utter defeat. This was a fight over future dominance. One she definitely couldn't afford to lose. And the smell emanating from her enemy was god damn awful.

Suddenly the sound of her phone cuts through this battle of supremacy and strength. She can see Rosalee's name flash up as the ringing continues. Giving up, she lets the ever determined and very loud Kelly escape completely nappy-less! "Hey there Rosalee, I hope you're not calling to cancel on me!" she jokingly warns. Kelly now free is seemingly hell bent on destruction as he throws around his 'Fox' rattle that his favourite Aunty had got him with complete abandonment. "Everything all right there?" she can hear the tinge of tension in Adalind's voice. "Yeah" sighs Adalind, "let's just say we don't see eye-to-eye on the merits of wearing a diaper Kel-bear and I..." Adalind closely watches Kelly's progress, "It won't hurt him having some free air time I s'pose..." she laughs now as Kelly sneezes at the baby powder he's just covered himself in! "Sounds like I've caught you at a bad moment" Rosalee apologetically says. "No, we're all good, let me just rescue him" Rosalee can hear the complaints coming from Kelly as Adalind grabs the wriggling boy to start round 2, (or possibly round 3?), of pin the diaper on the Grimm-baby. Whenever he was like this Adalind definitely attributed his father's Grimm side to their little bundle of energy and destruction! "So, if you're not cancelling what can I do you for?" Adalind asks.

"I wanted to make sure we were still on for tonight; you know that Hank and Nick hadn't gotten themselves called in or whatever, and if we are, are you sure you don't want me to come over a bit earlier to help with dinner... I don't mind..." This was typical of Rosalee; she hated to think she was putting anybody out. That and she didn't mind having some extra Aunty Rosalee time with Kelly! Adalind was amazed at how Rosalee and Monroe had taken to their roles as de facto Uncle and Aunty and hence spoilers-in-chief to her and Nick's baby. She smiled happily at that warm thought. Kelly would have 'family' no matter what. When she was on the outside looking in, she never appreciated just how real and strong the bond was between this remarkable Grimm and his friends; Wesen and Kehrseite alike.

"Yes we're still on! Nick wouldn't dare get himself called in now! I'll put the little one down around Seven(ish), so if we aim for seven-thirty?" Adalind confirms. As Rosalee seemingly starts to protest Adalind interrupts, "Nick's just out picking up a pie from Bud and getting the fresh ingredients." She quickly adds "I've got him promising me he'll be the best sous chef a Hexenbiest could wish for and I've promised not to call him Igor...!"

Adalind inwardly groans at the resounding silence, she didn't want to expose them to any outside judgement, even from his friends. Not this early. She didn't need to remind them all of her former Hexenbiest status. This was so different to what she knew. She was no longer that witch. The whole idea of the meal was about gradually introducing their partnership to the group, gradually introducing this new Adalind to his 'family'.

Her wandering anxiety was shattered by the sudden realisation that Rosalee had dissolved into laughter on the other end. With her apprehension also dissolving they shared in the whimsy of this budding friendship. Both finally gaining their composure, they bade farewell to each other for now.

Adalind was still chuckling happily to a now dressed Kelly when Nick opened the elevator, "What's got you so happy? Before I left I thought I was going to have to throw a flag on the play..." Adalind frowned as Nick presumed his 'Football' reference had probably gone over this sophisticated blonde's head... "Well there was definite pass interference on the diaper by YOUR son!" she happily shocked Nick with her impressively discernible reply. "We are definitely going to have a discussion on the Vikings at some point", he jokingly adds. Adalind feigns mock surprise with her most coy and shy look. "Mmmmm" Nick sceptically responds.

With that, they both laugh and are then into their increasingly comfortable choreography around the kitchen as they start their dinner prep. Adalind is mockingly barking out orders like a parade ground sergeant major, with Nick's "Sir, Yes Sir, Chef Sir!" in humorous response makes them both smile. And this is all alarmingly normal to them both yet again. When he threatens to put flour on her nose and has her laughing and wriggling in his arms neither of them are particular willing or interested in returning to their reserved and reticent parenting inauguration.

Both are claiming victory as Nick gently brushes flour from her cheek. The closeness, the heat is not lost on either of them as they end up looking deeply into each other's eyes. Neither look away immediately, but also neither chooses to take this sudden intimacy any further as they return to their cooking.

Nick inwardly admonishes himself. Since their kiss the one thing he hadn't wanted to do was 'lead on' Adalind. He was confused enough without complicating their relationship any further. He seemed to lurch form coldly detached to lingeringly intimate. When he had felt himself swimming in those cerulean blue eyes he had to force himself not kiss her again. Remembering Lips that where velvety soft, moist and luscious to the touch, with that heady mix of coconut and lavender scent as she leaned into him. A scent he remembered even from the interview room. Yes he remembers that smell. Even then she was a stunningly beautiful witch. Today it's now mixed with baby powder and flour. A smile spreads to his lips with these thoughts. Sometimes he thinks his brain should be treated as a hostile witness with its wandering rumination.

But Oh my god those eyes...

Falling into infinite fractals' of icicles...

Looking into the bottomless symmetry of those sapphires...

Natures' truest blue found only in the most flawless gemstone...

His soul was naked and vulnerable on the altar of the abyss of those eyes...

And breathe...

As a detective and a Grimm he wasn't what you'd call unobservant. But much of that was focused on detecting liars and deception. What he reads now was so much more in the eyes of Adalind. Longing and fear. Intimacy and mischief. No, it was on him not to hurt her again.

"Penny for your thoughts Detective Grimm?" Adalind interrupts him. Maybe she's concerned that their most recent familiarity had over-stepped unspoken boundaries. Or maybe he's just been quiet for too long.

"I just can't believe how far we've come Adalind... I mean Bremen ruins... Kelly... Everything!" It's a surprisingly truthful reply that has Adalind slightly off balance so use to Nick's more stoic responses as she was. "Yeah, it feels like a different life. Mind you, you can forget about that being our first ever kiss mister!" Adalind falls back onto humour to deal with Nick's unexpected honesty.

Suddenly Nick is holding her in front of him and she's wondering if he's actually going to kiss her again, and privately noting she's not particularly upset about that possibility! What happens next is maybe even more extraordinary. "Adalind, you are truly remarkable you know. I stole away your daughter. I'm a father now. I think I can only understand a fraction of what that means..." his eyes are almost wet with naked honesty "I know I'd kill anyone who tried. I'm so grateful we are where we are... and a little shocked... " and Adalind feels her colour flushing with how intense he's looking at her, "You know that's down to you, Don't you? I can't believe how you've forgiven me?"

Her forgive him? It interrupts her train of thought for a moment. The notion he still felt he needed her to forgive him. After everything she had done. Adalind knows this has been a recurring theme with Nick; his absolute and genuine expression of guilt and shame over Diana. It seems to periodically overwhelm him into confession. "Nick, we where different people, I certainly was," and she returns his look with conviction, "I'm more than grateful I've got this second chance with Kelly... And You... A second chance to be a mother... A second chance to be the person that deserves what you've done for me..." Now Adalind holds Nick's eyes, "Remember, No recriminations!" she adds their now familiar family motto in explanation.

Then as suddenly as the seriousness had begun it concludes as Adalind gently squeezes Nicks arm, then laughingly blows flour in his hair as she returns to chopping onions. Nick understands that this has gotten too serious. He knows he probably took it too far, but sometimes he just wants her to know how incredible she actually has been. And it's not lost on him that it often coincides with him getting lost in the depths of those eyes.

They fall back into their comfortable patterns of behaviour, looking forward to spending a pleasant evening with their 'family', busily cooking up a storm of meat and vegetarian pasta dishes, dressed salad, homemade focaccia bread and Adalind's special cookies. The cookies have become a bit of an in-joke with the pair of them!

"Have you been here yet?" Wu is asking Hank as he pulls up to 'Imperial Paints paint factory'. He's just sent Nick a message to say they've arrived. Hank had gotten the address off Nick earlier that day, and then arranged a convoy with Monroe and Rosalee so they'd all arrive at once. "No, I'm an apocalyptic retreat virgin just as much as everyone else" he says looking around through the windscreen of his Police issue Dodge Charger. They both know that Nick had been wracked with guilt over the deaths of his neighbours only a matter of a few months ago at the hands of the brutal Verrat. He had been desperate to provide Kelly and Adalind somewhere safe and secure as well. He'd also divulged what Monroe had said to him about getting the hell out of a home that had known so much pain and death. And Hank privately couldn't agree more with that sentiment.

"So.., this is Nick's new home, sweet home" Wu sceptically looks around the old abandoned factory district slowly being reclaimed by conversion properties as Monroe and Rosalee pull up behind them. It seemed isolated and bleak compared to his condo block. "Wouldn't be first place you'd look for him" Hank replies once he's out the car and taking in the area.

Monroe hot on their heels adds, "Or the last!" Rosalee apprehensively closes the distance with Monroe; the home-warming gift hamper clung in front of her "guess you don't have to worry about anybody killing your neighbours here" she says pointedly.

Monroe questioningly voices "yeah, I don't know..." He takes in a 360degree survey and attempts some positively, "I think it's kind of homey, you know," Rosalee is giving him a disbelieving look as he adds, catching her expression "in a... like... post-apocalyptic... neo-industrial, steam punk chic kind of way!..." He unconvincingly rambles looking directly into Rosalee's dubious smile.

The brief silence is shattered as the metal door shutters rattles over its rollers revealing Nick standing there in jeans and a green round neck jumper "Hey" he welcomes them all, "pull the cars inside" as the doors reveal a large cargo garage area that will stow their vehicles with ease.

"Did you find the place okay Wu, hope my directions were easy enough for Hank to follow..." Nick is asking, Rosalee and Wu follow him to the elevator, as Hank and Monroe Park up their cars. "Yeah it was pretty easy once we figured out the right factory entrance" Wu replies. Nick grins ruefully whilst rubbing the back of his head "yeahhhh..." Rosalee laughs at Nick's boyish pout, "Hey, it's not like there aren't reasons" she squeezes Nick's arm as she adds "I'm sure Adalind's had time to add some homely touches..." She knows this is true as they had previously gone hunting together for soft furnishings to break up the barrenness of the living space Adalind had already described to her.

Adalind is finishing putting out the cookies on a cooling rack. She is determined to do them proud, and wanted tonight to go well under friendlier eyes. Once Nick had received the text and gone down to collect everyone, Adalind's nerves had promptly kicked into overdrive. So she was standing there back to biting her thumb nail and frowning in nervous contemplation. She hears her mother's voice in her head 'Stop biting your nails, you're Wesen aristocracy, not cattle!' She promptly stops and inwardly groans at the memory. Her thoughts have been wandering frequently to her lately, what with her mother's birthday coming up soon. So as Nick pulls up the elevator gate to unveil the group, Adalind is standing there cradling herself in her soft long jumper trying to smile warmly as they step into the room. "Hey" she greets them all, hands rolling nervously in each other. Monroe has a protective arm around Rosalee unsure what the reveal will provide. Wu greets Adalind back.

Adalind swallows her nerves and with a theatrical welcoming of open arms declares "SOOooooo... Welcome to the 'fome'..." Nick radiates a smile at this use of her familiar portmanteau. "It's a cross between a fortress and a home" Adalind clarifies to the confused looking faces. This generates a comprehending laugh amongst the guests.

Rosalee knew Adalind was nervous because Nick had privately confessed as much when he'd confirmed the Dinner Party invite with her. She greets Adalind with what she hopes is a relaxing smile, whilst Monroe nods his appreciation of the loft, "I think it's kind of awesome" looking at Nick with almost child-like wonder "You don't have a turret, do you?"

Nick replies with a small amount of pride "No, but we do have a roof!" which has Monroe eagerly demanding, "Gotta see that." Nick motions Monroe to follow him to the stairs.

As the best friends disappear to the roof top, Rosalee presents Adalind the basket of goodies she has been holding on to, "Here's a little 'fome-warming' gift from us all" continuing with the fome theme.

"Thanks you guys" Adalind says with a thoroughly broad smile.

Rosalee adds, "And there's something in there for Kelly" pointing to a small soft-toy wolfie!

Wu then chimes in conspiratorially, "You know, I have never met Kelly" his admission made with his normal easy inquisitive smile. "Well, he's asleep, but let's take a look" Adalind has a small mischievous grin as she proudly waits to show off her little boy. "Not without me..." Rosalee tags along eagerly pressing her Aunty rights.

Hank suddenly left alone awkwardly suggests "I'll open the wine" to all their disappearing backs. Adalind shouts an agreement from the bedroom. Going to the kitchen counter to try to locate a cork-screw he warily eyes the cookies, making a note to consider starting a diet early.

On the roof Monroe and Nick take the opportunity to touch base on how things are going. What with his co-habitation with Adalind, 'Eve-NOT-Juliette'(s) return and how quick things had developed with Black-Claw they hadn't had many chances to talk about how Nick has processed all that has happened.

Monroe beholds the surprisingly stunning panoramic landscape "Wow, dude... Nice view Man"

Nick agrees. He sometimes comes up here at night if he can't sleep. It gives him some semblance of peace. "Yeah... not too bad'. Waiting for the infamous incoming 'Monroe-ism', but all Monroe actually manages is a "Lordy" with an appreciative short laugh. The rooftops frame the skyline, aglow with the lights of Portland, as an atmospheric nocturnal backdrop. Monroe privately hides the desiring call of his blood to howl at this moonlit concrete jungle. It'd be just too damn cliché he thinks to himself!

He exhales a deep sigh. Unable to small-talk his way into it, he simply asks Nick "So how's it going... Between you and Adalind and Kelly and Eve and...?" he fades out shaking his head as he looks keenly at Nick, gauging his response, looking for pain, looking for conflict. Rosalee and he had discussed how he could gently transition into this, but he choked. Like he knew he would. But, he'd been very eager to make sure his closest friend was coping.

Nick just smirks. This was Monroe and he was his best friend. The same Monroe that had smashed thru a window and despite all conventions had befriended a virgin Grimm. In doing so, he'd probably saved his life on a weekly basis. No, actually Monroe wasn't a friend, he was family. And you're honest with family, right? You don't have to worry about judgement? Hell, who else had he got to talk to about all this?

"Well, Adalind has been great." As Nick releases an almost disbelieving half-laugh, "Who would've thought that she would've made such a wonderful mother?" Nick's heart aches at the heaviness of that statement, because who would of? Not them, they hadn't even considered it. So now he carried his guilt like a badge of shame! All he can do his mask it with a smile.

Monroe sighs in thoughtful admiration. It's still incredible to see them together. Still incredible to see just how Nick keeps it all together. Rosalee had already floated the proposition that she could see more than 'just friends' in their future. Monroe had dismissed this as wild suggestions of mere romanticism by his pretty little Fuchsbau. But then he had seen Nick quietly watching Adalind cuddle and hum to an upset Kelly last week at the shop. It had been almost intimate and personal. He'd looked quickly away at the time. But it had stuck with him. So Monroe felt vindicated in asking Nick "how does she feel about you?"

As Nick says "I don't know" he can feel Monroe's eyes boring into him, so he clarifies, "We don't really talk about that." Yes he feels their closeness, Adalind and he, but he's not ready to name it. It just seems to hang in the air between them. He can't even begin to describe what he's been thinking.

Monroe shrewdly changes tack, "Well, how do you feel about her?"

Nick muses, "I'm not sure." There's a sudden softness to his voice as he continues "I mean I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel". He draws a breath in contemplation. "I hated her for so long, and now... we're living together, and we have this kid." Monroe exhales slowly has he sees the confusion and conflict now play on Nicks' features. "And it all just feels strangely normal." Nick admits to the first person out loud, to Monroe, his closest friend. Monroe quietly snorts in recognition of that admission. "I mean, if you can call this normal" Nick finishes solemnly.

Monroe knows as a Wieder Blutbad, who chose to become best friends with a Grimm, he has a uniquely oblique view of conformity. Understanding seeps from his voice, "Well...I am the wrong guy to ask about normal, but all I can say is..., it... feels like Adalind is a completely different person, you know?"

He's glad his friend can see what he's seeing, but it doesn't prevent the bitterness in his voice when he adds "Yeah, like Eve!"

Monroe nods "Yeah" but with less certainty and compassion. After all this was the woman that threatened his Rosalee, let alone very nearly took his life. Mistakes were made, but her enjoyment in the destruction of Juliette's life was undeniable. "About that, do you think she has any idea who she used to be?" He wonders, "I mean Juliette?"

Nick remembers the complete detachment he saw in Eve's eyes and his look speaks a thousand words. "She, says, she remembers everything, but..." frustratingly he continues "she talks about Juliette as if she has nothing to do with her", like a sick cosmic joke he's the butt of.

Monroe surmises in his reflection, "So it's like a complete split personality." Nick sourly interjects; "I don't think they have a name for this!" He's unsure just how to describe the absolute coldness and power emanating from every pore of this new weaponized Eve. It was just plain frightening.

"Just when you think people can't change, right?" Monroe scoffs but then he can't help himself but vocalise something that has been gnawing at him for a while now. "But, dude, seriously, it is so weird that you slept with both of them," he says with a slight smile in his voice, "When they were each other!" A small snicker escapes "I mean come on... Relationships are confusing enough as it is without getting into that kind of...," hands gesticulating the sum of that thought, he struggles to phrase the ending, "you know... bizarre arithmetic." This has them both shaking their heads trying to compute that little 'Roe-ditty.

Nick breaks the awkward silence with a pitiful laugh, "Yeah, if you could just leave that out of any future best man toast I'd be eternally grateful..." This drags a spluttering laugh out of Monroe, who almost as suddenly is trying to picture that particular wedding party without bloodshed and beheadings and finding it nigh on impossible!

"You're gonna make me choke dude...!" Is all Monroe can reply as his beer overflows, until he adds "Although I do accept all cash and credit cards, AND a Cheval Blanc 1947 St-Emilion is guaranteed my upmost discretion..." he tags on matter-of-factly, "it's only a paltry $140,000 a bottle..." Now its Nicks turn to splutter uncontrollably into his beer as he dissolves into laughter. Monroe then jumps in with "Mind you bud, my best man speech is gonna be epic... AND remind everyone you STILL owe me for a window!"

Nick gives Monroe a half look that clearly says 'not a chance', "Listen, I told you I'd pay you back, you don't have to remind me every 12 months!" Now they're both swigging on their beers choking back laughter.

"You know Adalind and I kissed the other day..." Nick suddenly drops in between gulps of air. He's surreptitiously watching Monroe as it's his time to gauge the reaction to that bombshell. "Well... it's a choice..." he quietly replies. "Now don't shoot the messenger because you know I love you man... "Monroe swallows and continues, "But... And this is a big but... Make sure you're not making things even more complicated for yourself, Nick, you know..." A shadow of disappointment crosses Nick's face and it isn't lost on Monroe. "I'm not saying don't man, it's okay if that's what you want... I mean, you deserve some happiness..." Monroe's fighting to get this out in a comprehending fashion. "It's hardly a surprise you two are getting closer though, living together like this...I'm just saying do it because you want to, not because of some crazy notion of duty!" Monroe can see the uncertainty clear slightly on Nick's face, "Well, don't leave me hangin'. What did you guys decide?"

"Absolutely nothing!" Nick admits, as he continues "I think we we're starting to open up, but then Trubel got back and we just haven't talked about it since."

"Oh crap, what are we gonna do with you?" Monroe resignedly says as a groan escapes. Nick just shrugs, just then they hear Rosalee's voice shouting from the opened roof door that food was ready. With that they slink downstairs to join the rest of their group, trying not to be too obvious about the seriousness of their conversation.

"Shushhh there lil' man" Rosalee coo's over the crib to the gently disturbing Kelly. Adalind has the biggest smile, fully brimming with pride and delight. Wu strokes Kelly's bared arm, and quick as a flash Kelly grabs hold of his finger and brings it up to his mouth to suckle.

"Oh Wow, he's got a strong grip hasn't he" Wu says in wonder.

"Yeah, I can attest to that after he grabbed my hair the other day!" Rosalee laughs as Adalind pouts sheepishly on Kelly's behalf. "He didn't mean it, did you? But It did take both Monroe and me to untangle Rosalee from his Grimm-grip..." she continues quietly cringing. "I'm blaming any anti-social behaviour on Nick!" Adalind states, as they all look at each other and laugh. "As the male in the room I feel I should defend Nick, but since he's not here, I don't have to!" Wu adds in collusion with their approving smiles.

"Very sensible!" Adalind states with conviction as Rosalee nods her agreement.

"Who wants Wine? And where's your cork-screw" Hank asks as he ducks his head into the bedroom. To a unanimous yes, they leave Kelly to continue sleeping, as Adalind slips behind the kitchenette island to retrieve a corkscrew from the draw.

"Here you go good sir..." Adalind offers as Hank starts to uncap the wine, "It'll be my first glass of alcohol since having Kelly..." Adalind then adds, "So I'll apologise now!"

Hank starts to pull the cork. "Nick said we're having Italian so I bought a nice Borolo if everyone's okay with that?"

"Definitely..." Wu says waiting impatiently with empty glass waving.

"Wu, like you're ever going to say No!" Wu feigns personal slight as he sulks with his empty glass and says "Well unlike some detectives I can mention, I actually work for a living!" which instigated a bitchy "oooooaaahh" from the girls.

Adalind is checking on the casserole dishes as the cooking timer alarms, whilst Rosalee is taking the bread and salad to the table.

"Wu, you mind lighting those candles please" Adalind asks from behind the cooker as she passes over a safety lighter, "Thanks Wu..."

With the candles lit, wine in glasses, food on the table, Rosalee goes to the roof door to tell the lads to come down from their mothers meeting.

Nick drinks in the faces of his family. This was a good idea of Adalind's. It was the thing he didn't have as a child, well not after the age of twelve after his mother and father was stolen from him. After that he was the quiet new kid, moving from town to town, school to school, never quite fitting in, never more than a name slip away from moving again. Now he was living with the mother of his child, welcoming his family to their new place. He raises his glass "I just wanted to thank everybody for coming and for being here for us."

"Nick..." Adalind interrupts though, "I think I should be the one thanking everyone for helping us... me, in particular, in making this difficult change." Adalind pauses until tentatively continuing "I know it's not what any one of you expected, I mean, I sure didn't. And... " Adalind starts to wilt under their eyes but persists. She needs this, they need this; "I just want you to know... How sorry I am for a lot of things that happened." Emotion breaks in her voice as she can't bring herself to look at Wu or Hank, "What you all have done for me and Kelly is...ermm". Adalind stutters and stalls unable to find the words to truly show her gratitude, but appreciates the knowing smiles on Rosalee and Monroe's faces.

Not for the first time, not for the last, Nick jumps in to save her "I think what She's trying to say is, _'Thanks'_!"

Bringing their glasses up to salute everyone, there's a resounding "cheers" by all of them.

Dinner proceeds well. A relaxed atmosphere with good wine generates several stories from Wu about Detectives Burkhardt and Griffin to the delight all the Wesen present.

Adalind is more than interested, especially since Nick is rarely so forthcoming about his early Cop life pre-Grimm.

"Yeah, well I was the only one that could keep up with the Perp... I got the academy record for the cross country running time..." Nick is saying, "Which is a good job since Wu and Hank decided to go back and get the car!"

"Well you were the newbie, it was a very busy fish market and so it was your job to wear him down and we'd use efficiency of effort and experience to catch him on the flip side in the car!... Or that was the plan..." Hank laughs.

"Well you were in the honeymoon period with wife No.3 Hank" Wu chirps in, "energy conservation was important at the time"

"euwww..." Monroe cringes.

That caused endearing whoops from Rosalee and Adalind to coincide with Hank putting his hands up in mock embarrassed surrender to Wu. "Wife Number THREE!" Monroe exclaims, "Wooh... You were a gluten for punishment" he Laughingly jibes. Rosalee immediately bats him on the arm giving him a stern schoolmarm look in warning. "Okay mister, you're on the sofa tonight if you carry on like that!"

That has Wu, Hank and Nick all laughing into their wine glasses whilst Monroe acts appropriately chastised.

"So what happened then Nick, when you where running down your nefarious miscreant...?" Adalind asks with unabashed interest.

Nick sighs, "Well unbeknownst to that pair, the guy double backed and I ran straight into him..." he says deliberately vague towards the end.

"Go on Nick, tell them the rest..." Wu teases.

"Okay! Okay! I collided with him as we both came round a corner... and that sent us both careering into a big pile of rotting garbage, fish-guts and goo!"

That has all of them laughing at the potential nasal onslaught of a Nick covered in fish guts and ooze... "I don't know what you pair are laughing about, I think it took me a Month to finally get rid of that smell!" he says sourly! "I had to chuck my Jacket!" "Don't I know it! I was partnering you in that car!" Hank complains!

"Then there was all the 'ribbing' back at the precinct!" Nick adds even more bitterly.

"Arwwww did they tease THE BIG BAD Grimm?" Monroe smirks.

"It took me a year to get them to stop calling me Nick Burkcarp!" Nick resignedly admits to the group to an explosion of laughter, "I still don't know who started that one..." Just then he notices Hank's and Wu's guilty exchange of looks, "YOU TWO!" he shakes his head, "I should have bloody guessed it... Only Wu could have hacked my computer access and changed my username to Nish Burkcarp!"

Everyone dissolves into that full-on belly gaffaw that is often accompanied by uncontrolled snorts and tears!

As it dies down, Nick continues, "Anyway, the Captain thought, since I was the youngest officer to make detective in his time, he'd pair me with plenty of experience!" as he motions to Hank, who in recognition stands and takes a bow.

"Wow Nick, that's incredible..." Rosalee states, "That's pretty impressive really."

Adalind quietly watches Nick, taking the good natured banter in his stride, playing down some pretty spectacular achievements on his part. He was always minimizing his and Hank's exploits and dangers. Often praising Monroe's guidance in keeping him alive, but they had taken down some pretty powerful Wesen together, even when he was a very inexperienced Grimm. They laughed and joked easily, so secure in their trust and friendships. Adalind knew she had been drawn to Nick's raw power during their earlier exchanges as he grew into his Grimmness. But to underestimate him and think of Nick in only Grimm terms was doing him and his partnership with Hank a real disservice. As she listened to them all share their stories, a real spark began to fan the flames of pride in Adalind as she watched Nick closely. Later she would turn to offer Rosalee more sparkling water, since she was driving her and Monroe home, only to be greeted with a warm but penetrating and perceptive expression from her friend.

The night concluded with Adalind and Rosalee arranging to meet up in the week at the shop and everyone saying their goodbyes. Adalind and Nick fell into their normal night routine. Hank and Wu even politely accepted some of Adalind's cookies to take away with them. No-one asked Hank if he ate his out of respect, and no-one thought that the sweet toothed Wu didn't!

As Rosalee and Monroe make their way home, Rosalee decides to interrogate a rather alcohol-relaxed Monroe, "So did you and Nick put the world to rights when you disappeared?"

"Sorta... Mmmm... Your romantic theory may have some traction..." Monroe drops. "wooahhh, hang on there, what are you saying?" Rosalee quickly returns.

"I'm not saying it's imminent but they've kissed... again,,, as In recently... and I think Nick is struggling because he has feelings..." Monroe states simply for Rosalee to digest.

"Well that's mutual" Rosalee retorts, "Didn't you see how Adalind was looking at Nick tonight... But... They Kissed! Like you mean THEY actually kissed each other... On purpose!?"

"Well who else?" Monroe asks confusedly. Rosalee looks at her husband with almost disbelief. "Sometimes you're totally useless!" she laughs, "But at least you're MY useless..." she pats him on the arm. Rosalee proceeds to tell Monroe about the look Adalind was giving Nick during the dinner. Yes more than ever, Rosalee felt like these two where fighting a losing battle. They had chemistry, it was undeniable. They oozed a natural attraction and intimacy.

Once they get home, Rosalee decides when she sees Adalind next, she'll ask a few more probing questions about how she feels about Nick.

Monroe is pulled violently out of a deep sleep by the incessant ringing of his mobile phone. Immediately his mind is racing, fuelled by all the drama their group have faced recently. "Oh, God Nick" he answers, "What happened?"

It isn't Nick though, as an older grainier accented voice jumps in "hallo, es ist dein Onkel Felix (_it's your uncle Felix_)". Taking a moment in his confusion, "Uncle Felix, ah... bitter... I... I... I'm sorry I can't think in German this late at night" Monroe says stumped by this nocturnal interruption. The old man realising his mistake, apologises, "Ya, I'm sorry to call you this early."

Suddenly Monroe is jumping to other horrific conclusions, "Oh God, who died?"

Rosalee alert to Monroe's distress has her hand to her mouth "oh no...!" The old man immediately tries to ease the sudden fear, "Nobody died". Monroe's relaxing, now able to relay "oh good, nobody died!" to Rosalee as he raises a hand to allay her dread.

Getting straight down to business "the reason I call you so late your mother told me that you have a friend that is a Grimm" Uncle Felix drops that Grimmshell so matter of factually Monroe could of been forgiven for missing it just before it explodes in his brain! Monroe's shockingly retorts "Uh... Mom told you that?" "That is the reason I'm calling you" his uncle reaffirms, "I have something our friend would be very interested in." The old man presses on in anxious eagerness "I emailed you some photos. This cannot wait!" Conspiratorially he adds "Do not forward these photos and delete them when you are done."

With that his Uncle Felix abruptly ends the call.

Monroe still looking into his phone with total bewilderment "Hello?" slowly registers the dull call end tone. Rosalee, her curiosity bursting with a multitude of questions starts with "What was that all about?" "Uh..." a stunned Monroe sighs "It's my uncle Felix, he owns an antiquarian bookstore in Leipzig" as a way of an explanation. Monroe hasn't heard from his Uncle Felix for 10 years other than birthday and Christmas cards. In fact the last time he saw him was when he came over from the old country to see his folks for Christmas tide celebrations. Even then his fairly full on hermit-workaholic lifestyle was fostering some significant social awkwardness, a path that Monroe seemed doomed to repeat himself. Somewhat annoyed and anxious Rosalee presses a dallying Monroe in disbelief "So what? He wants to sell you books at 3 in the morning?"

Monroe is still trying to process this strange turn of events. He was the book nerd. He was known for it. History was in fact HIS bag. So why is his antiquarian book specialist of an Uncle aiming this call at Nick? It just doesn't compute in the slightest! He clarifies, "No, he said he sent me some pictures that my friend", at this point Monroe then drops the hand-grenade, " -**The Grimm**-... might be interested in." Rosalee snaps alert and upright at this; "He knows about Nick?" the obvious concern in her voice. This was intolerable. This was dangerous for everyone! "Apparently, my mother told him" Monroe resignedly admits. Rosalee rails "Oh Great!" too flabbergasted to say much more. "I know" Monroe tries to soothe in agreement. Rosalee now is desperate to know what was so important that was worth risking the exposure of knowing a Grimm. In the wesen world, especially the more conservative parts, befriending a Grimm was the worst betrayal known, even above and beyond mixed-wesen relationships. Neither Monroe nor Rosalee had forgotten the Wesenrein, Monroe was still known to have nightmares from time to time since his kidnapping and 'Trial'. All her instincts are now active, "what are these pictures?" Monroe tiredly says "I don't know" putting a reassuring hand on Rosalee's shoulder he quietly pleads "let's go back to sleep."

Rosalee is having none of it though. "No I'm wide awake now, we're looking at these pictures" she states with a steadfast finality as she manoeuvres herself to see Monroe's phone screen. Relenting with an "ok..." Monroe lets Rosalee snuggle onto his shoulder to better view the pictures.

"All right..." the completely unexpected hand drawn picture of a Wesen shockingly appears on his screen eliciting a "Holy crap" from Monroe! Rosalee's eyes are wide in stunned amazement as she takes in the faded parchment, exquisite penned drawings and archaic writing. "That looks like it's from a Grimm book" she whispers almost reverently. They gasp as they view the pictures as Monroe wonders "where did he get this stuff?" Rosalee can only say "You got to call Nick!"

They both stare at the blank screen for a few seconds more, before they look at each other in astonishment. Then Monroe's verbal diarrhoea kicks in hard. "Oh My God... Did you see them? They're like... amazing. The quality; they must be ancient! There were wesen there I've never seen before! That would totally make up for all the books Juliette torched. This is massive right..? " "It is" Rosalee agrees. "How the hell are we s'pose to sleep now?" Monroe quips. Rosalee smiles shyly as she nuzzles his neck, almost as a purr. "You letting your inner fox out are you?" Monroe coyly smiles. Rosalee whispers her response, "You know I find your inner nerd damn sexy..."

-We leave the pair revelling in their love...-

Nick stands straight as he hears Adalind call him, her outline visible in the mirror at the frosted glass of their bathroom door. "Your phones ringing, it's Monroe..."

"Answer it, I'll be right out" he replies as he rinses the toothpaste from his mouth.

Nick walks out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, damp and glistening from his shower. Adalind quickly hands over the phone and gets the hell out of there on what feels like wobbly legs. She does not trust herself with a half-naked Nick so distracts herself with Kelly's morning regime!

"Monroe, what's up?" Nick enquires.

Leaning up his butcher's Block Island Monroe gushes "Yeah, um, so, we got a strange phone call last night from my uncle Felix who owns an antiquarian bookstore in Leipzig." Rosalee can't help but interrupt Monroe's meandering, "Nick he has some Grimm books and he sent pictures!" she practically shouts into the phone. Monroe continues "Yeah, what she said. And he knows I know you because of my mother and her big..." "...MOUTH!" yells Rosalee with her back to Monroe as she makes them both coffee. Taking a bite of her toast she lets Monroe carry on as he sighs. "Anyway... He wants to know if you're interested in buying these books and I gotta tell you, from what we've seen, you gotta see this." And Rosalee loves seeing Monroe so excited about history and helping his best friend. He's so adorable she thinks to herself, his unswerving loyalty and quirky enthusiasm. "So the long and the short of it is, can you come over?

An intrigued Nick tells him he's on his way. He's changed and pouring some coffee from the pot Adalind has made. She's awfully glad he's now fully clothed.

"What's going on?" Adalind enquires. There's eagerness to Nick's actions, an excitement in his step.

"Monroe's Uncle is an old book seller or assessor... appraiser? Anyway something..." Nick pauses and frowns whilst trying and failing to work that out, "So he thinks he may have some Grimm books for me to look at... 'Roe was very excited! His full nerd was showing." Nick begins to laugh.

"Ooh Can we believe Uncle 'Roe is excited about history books?" A short pause later, "Yes we can, can't we Kel-Bear... Yes we can" Adalind coos over a chuckling Kelly, "But if what you're sayings true, the trailer, all that stuff you lost...?" She leaves it hanging out there. She deliberately avoids mentioning Juliette. Why? Well that's easy, because she hates seeing the pain in Nick's eyes when her name is mentioned. It's the guilt that's mirrored there. Or is it reflected there, stemming from her own very real guilt?

"Yeah, I mean I don't know how much or how many so we'll see, but yeah, it'd be nice to get something back" Nick eyes are sparkling, betraying his attempt not to get overexcited.

"Well I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. I think Kel and I might go window shopping later, the walls are closing in..." Adalind says as she rags Kelly's tummy playfully to his chuckles, "We need to get some food in as well, the cupboards are bare! So I'll be on my mobile" Adalind tells him half-smiling, knowing his almost pathological need to know where they both are. That might feel oppressive to some. Not to Adalind Schade who never had anyone care about her beyond what she could do for them. Not even her mother. Yep, her mother's raising her head again, that very same mother who callously kicked her out the house when she lost her Hexenbiest. So this is daft, right? That broken Adalind had prided herself on becoming Miss Independent and Mistress Liberated after all. She thought she preferred that, until she felt the genuine warmth of someone's care and compassion. Sometimes she thinks even their Love... Just maybe? At the very least, Nick's absolute commitment to them both. So Adalind knows this is born out of his experience of loss and his desire to protect them; Kelly and Her. Also, conceivably, the fact she's disappeared on him before. So can she really blame his uncertainty or his vulnerability? His fear of Loss? Hell, she met him when she was trying to kill is Aunt. His life has been littered with loss. He'd lost his real mum twice! No she didn't feel oppressed by him. Adalind Schade felt cared for, protected, respected. It was an honour to be someone Nick Burkhardt cherished and feared losing.

"Okay, see you later, I'll try and get back earlier enough to help out with the groceries," Nick says, "bye buddy, have a lovely day with mummy..." natural warmth radiates through those words, into his gentle touch of Kelly's cheek. His voice is ocean rich, flowing with his love. As if suddenly self-conscious, a quick peck on his baby's head and he's off. Adalind's heart skips a beat every time she observes Nick's interactions with Kelly. This serious man; this badass Grimm; this highly sprung, quiet, reserved detective; she gets to witness how he melts at the simple touch of his son's hand. All those impregnable layers so easily shattered by the smell of his son's hair. It's literally overwhelming witnessing this Love. Because it mirrors her own, because somehow she gets to share in this love. It's a heartstring that links each one of them to each other in this new family. Her "bye" chases Nick out of the loft.

Later that evening, Nick and Adalind are enjoying a little bit of mundane normal living as they unpack the groceries from their shopping trip. Nick enjoyed it, the quiet time between dramas. The doting looks from other couples towards the new parents as they joked their way around the supermarket. As a Police officer you learned to compartmentalise your work life from your home life. It was a polarisation, the sudden violence and destruction of lives verses the mildness, kindness and tenderness of a personal life. Well, hopefully. As a Police Officer you saw and experienced the darkness and distress that secretly slithers, snarls and scratches at humanity and decency of society until it's left a bleeding reviled spectre of itself. It can easily taint the soul and gouge away a person's compassion. Since bearing his Grimm heritage, Nick has witnessed the horror and hatred mirrored in the abyss of his eyes. Each flinch and cower has chipped away at his humanity. Yes he needed this normalcy. He needed this ordinary and banal life if he was going to survive. He needed Kelly. He needed Adalind. So he had definitely noticed the melancholy that had shadowed the blonde's steps this evening, the shade that had clouded those beautiful blue eyes.

"You okay? You seem kind of quiet tonight."

Adalind laments her inability to just swallow this grief. It hunts and haunts her in equal amounts. If only she could just step away and leave the sorrow that possesses her wandering thoughts and imprisons her reasoning. "Today would have been my mother's birthday." And there it was. It really didn't matter what scars she left on Adalind's life. She was her mother and in their twisted and warped relationship there was 'love' with a small 'L' and a lot of judgement and expectation. Crushingly so to be honest, but Adalind loved her mother, even if she didn't like her. The wrong people will teach you the right lessons if you let them, and Catherine Schade has made Adalind a better mother. She learnt more about tenderness, love and maternal sacrifice from the short time she knew a Grimm's mother than she ever did from her own.

"Oh." Nick's world plummeted. Another notch in the guilt post, albeit a much smaller one. The little Adalind talks about her mother, the more Nick despises her for sacrificing her morality and innocence at the altar of her own ambition, poisoning her future.

"It's just hard not to think about it when you try not to think about it, because then all you do is think about it." The sorrow seeps into her stance, "its okay. It'll be over tomorrow. Sorry." She ends lamely.

Nick tries to tell her its okay. He's annoyed at himself for not being more sensitive to what was going on with her. He'd assumed her quietness was down to exhaustion, or the worry of what was going on with black claw. He'd put parents into a box labelled; - **Dangerous, Do Not Disturb... EVER!** – It was too painful, too devastating to think about his mother. Too raw. But his mother and Aunt Marie, their birthright was born in the blood of Wesen and they excelled in that traditional Grimm inheritance. He could feel their condemnation from the grave infiltrating his nightmares and ancestry. But his legacy would be a new lineage, a new heritage, forged in this unconventional relationship between Grimm and Hexenbiest.

"Here I am thinking about my mother, who threw me out of the house, and I don't even know your birthday. And you don't know mine." It's not like her mother would approve of her situation. She'd probably want to weaponize her son. Or drown him at birth. It was a toss-up.

Nick smugly announces "April 14th."

"Wait, you know my birthday?" Adalind's shocked and not a little flabbergasted. She can't ever remember it coming up between them. It's not like she could regal him with a chronicle of princesses and rainbows, maybe a couple of blood rites and one significant abandonment.

"Yeah, well, you know." this was the perfect testament to their special history as realisation dawns when her legal brain catches up, "I guess you did arrest me once."

"Just the once?" Nick teases.

"Hey, you were definitely prejudiced, "Adalind has a sly and mischievous expression, "Although I accept I was probably a hostile witness."

Nick coughs in disbelief. Eyebrow raised, "Belligerent - maybe. Antagonistic - definitely. Enjoyed it far too much; absolutely!"

"Why Mr. Detective, that's slander and defamation of character!" Adalind's in full flow now and suddenly Nick understands why she was considered a great litigator. "I could have your badge for that..."

"Really?" Nick sceptically asks.

Adalind just bursts into laughter. It was all true, she had made his life hell and enjoyed every moment she was on top. "Well to be fair you were an excellent opponent, your police procedural work was faultless."

"Why thank you Miss Schade, I think." Nick feels gratitude they're starting to laugh about their shared past. Hell, if you couldn't laugh, you'd need alcohol, a shovel and a badly lit disposal site. The memory of Adalind sitting confidently opposite a flailing Grimm and detective Griffin makes him strangely proud of her strength and composure though. "You already had me wrapped around your finger doing cartwheels didn't you?" His voice is subtly tender; he's closed the distance between them as he leans over the cabinet. Adalind picks up the Cos lettuce and gently bats him on the nose, "That'd be divulging a client-lawyer privileged conversation." Adalind pompously struts away smiling. "Weren't you your lawyer?" Nick interjects.

"Yes, because I like to keep my own council", Adalind turns then looking deeply from under long eyelashes, "I was being grilled by a terribly handsome Grimm". That has Nick floundering on possible replies. Adalind looks on his expression and calmly concludes, "Game, Set, Match I believe..."

Nick lifts up his hands in surrender, just glad he could get his little blonde smiling once again.

"Mine is June 18th. Just so you know." He informs the smiling Adalind in front of him.

"Good to know..." She answers sweetly, but before they can continue this tête-à-tête

Nick's phone lurches into life, as it vibrates along the kitchen top. He grabs and answers the phone.

"That was Monroe, his Uncle has travelled over from Leipzig and bought a Grimm book he wants me to see now, as in this minute" Nick explains, "Are you going to be okay if I head over there?"

"Of course, I'll finish getting this away then give Kelly his bath and get him off to sleep," Adalind adds "And thank you, for tonight, for understanding" she finished genuinely.

Nick was back a lot later that night. From her discrete view from under the covers she could see his attempted tiptoe into the bedroom was heavy with exhaustion. There was a resigned sigh to his movements, a drowning drag in his shoulders. He smelled of deflation.

"You're late," It wasn't said as an accusation, but a concern, "everything okay?"

"Sorry to disturb you" Nick said simply. The play in his voice lost from earlier.

"Not good news about the Grimm book?" she asks.

"Yes and No," he says with a sigh. He puts his gun away in his bedside table, closing the draw with a patient finality. "There's a lot more than one book, but he wants 100k. I can't get the money together in the time he wants."

Adalind gives Nick a sombre look, knowing her circumstance leaves her impotent to help. She hates that feeling. It's just another reason that has her considering a return to work. If this is really a partnership, then she needs to contribute.

"'Roe had the idea of asking Hadrian's Wall, that's why I'm so late." Nick starts to explain, "Trubel, 'Roe and I went over there. They weren't exactly forthcoming. But Meisner did say he'd try..." That'd been his Hail Mary. Now all he could do was be patient. Nick didn't really do 'wait and see'. He was a take action sort of person, preferably with as much explosive directness and violence that made the other person 'wait and see' or hopefully just go away! So as Nick lay down, Adalind shuffled nearer and into his arms. There they held each other for comfort against the night, as they both lay there powerless, no more words were necessary or uttered.

The next day, Adalind was chewing on her discontent. They had held close all night. She felt Nick's annoyance and frustration in every jerk, twitch and quiver of body and breathe. He'd left early. Trying again and failing again not to disturb her. So she'd been left looking at the ceiling annoyed with its implacable ambivalence to her inability to sleep. With that, she left the loft and headed to the park, to exercise her growing frustration with some actual exercise for Kelly and her.

Adalind is talking to a fellow mother. Initially her guard was heightened and alert. Awaiting the attack from wherever it was going to come from. Who talks to a mother in the park? It must be the prelude to a kidnap or threat. Well, it turns out, other mothers do. Mother's actually love talking. For some it may be the only talking they do that day. So exhausted and sleep deprived they are, they remain open in all their gentle pride and love. They'd started chatting over synchronised baby swinging. They'd fallen into comparing and competing. But, they'd both enjoyed the opportunity of talking to another adult, exorcising the ghost of baby babble and the isolation of new motherhood. The conversation was popping with post-natal goo and gunk stories. Safe content that didn't require editing with the protection of vagueness.

Her phone springs into life, Nick's name disclosing who was after her.

"Hey Nick, I'm at the park, you going to be joining us?" Adalind smiles at her fellow mother in apology of the disruption.

"No Adalind..." Nick's hesitation is a silent alarm roaring in her blood. "What's the matter Nick?"

Silence booming in her head. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Pain gripped her soul. Fear froze her heart. Time became hopeless. "Nick, speak, please!"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I scared you, I, I just don't, its Monroe's Uncle. He's been murdered!" Nick's tone is drowning in regret.

"Do Rosalee and Monroe know?"

"No. They don't. I'm about to phone 'Roe. How do I make this right Addy? How?" there's a pleading in Nick's voice that is rarely ever present. His moral compass, the centre of his strength, was floundering. Here he was being utterly honest with her, unsolicited and completely exposed. In all of that, she'd nearly missed his use of her name. Usually only used in their most private and intimate moments, he was obviously alone. He'd stolen time away from Wu and Hank just so he could speak to her. If he hadn't sounded so desperate it would have been comforting.

"You know, you can't deal with this as Detective Burkhardt, Nick, you have to release your Grimm" She says with a soft conviction.

"Yeah, probably" he says.

"No, not probably, definitely Nick" Adalind States simply "If Grimm books are involved, that could mean the Royals and the Verrat, or Reapers, Or Black Claw", her immediate dissection of the situation belied her analytical approach in her professional life.

"I know you're right. They just won't leave us alone will they?" Nick says in deepest sadness.

"No, but I trust in you"

"Adalind" Nick interrupts "Do you mind checking in on Rosalee in a bit? After I've spoken to Monroe, I'll need to interview him for appearance sake?"

"Of course... Whatever you need me to do Nick" Who ends the call with a sober "Thanks".

So a little while later we find Adalind walking into Rosalee's Tea And Spice Shop, to offer comfort whilst Monroe has gone with Nick to find his Uncle Felix's killers.

She finds Rosalee stress tidying her shelves. "One minute..."

"Take as long as you need. When you're finished I've got a loft you can force into submission if you want..." Adalind quips in return.

Rosalee turns around with a tense shrug. "Oh hello Adalind." Her voice cannot hide the anxiety that stalks each consonant. Her posture betrays the worry that is currently twisting her thoughts. She has never seen Monroe this coldly angry. Violence had threatened in every ground out word. The Blutbad strained to be unleashed. She worried about him. She worried about him getting lost in his vengeance. Worried he might get hurt. Worried his beautiful soul may get scarred. Her eyes hung under all this worry as tears began to form.

"Shall I make us some tea Rosalee?" Adalind asks. She's already moving into the back to where the kettle is.

"Only if I can have munchies with my 'lil man" she says as she retrieves Kelly from his car seat. He's already reaching for her. Eyes are wide with innocence and expectation.

"How are you holding up?"

"I don't know how you do this Adalind." Rosalee bursts out, "It's only been a couple hours and I'm worried frantic about Monroe... How do you keep sane?"

"Hey Rose, it's not like Monroe hasn't helped Nick with his Grimm stuff before?" She was slightly shocked at the vehemence of her outburst. It was so unlike her normally calm demeanour, but again, so in-keeping with their love and passion.

"But this is different Adalind. I know it's daft. He's done dangerous things with Nick before." Rosalee is wringing her hands, "But you didn't hear him talking about his Uncle. They are so alike... or were alike..." she adds sadly. "Just substitute clock-repairer for book specialist and they were the same; same quirkiness, same awkwardness, same loneliness, same focus and passion."

"You know we all love Monroe, right?" Adalind breaks into Rosalee's anxious confession, "But, there's a massive difference between his Uncle and him then, and that's you Rose. Just like Nick makes me a better person, YOU make Monroe better and there is nothing in this world that can keep you two apart." Rosalee relaxes some, recognising the truth of that. They were both lost in their lives somewhat, until they met. Until Nick the Cop-Grimm introduced them, and set them onto this path to finding their life together. Yes fate introduced them both to Nick. Fate must have wanted Adalind and Nick to meet.

"You're right Adalind," Rosalee lets the strength of their relationship suffuse through her fear and quell her worry and impose some semblance of calm.

"So how do you manage Adalind? I know you love Nick... Whether he knows or not..."

"What. Errrrrm. Rose. Yes I care about him, but... No... Is it that obvious?" Adalind finally finishes spluttering.

"Obvious to anyone with eyes that can see the way you both look at each other, especially when the other isn't looking..." Rosalee teases enjoying having the Hexenbiest on the run. She sees the flush building in the blonde across from her, the slow burning on her suppressed passion.

"We kissed the other day and..." Adalind see's the lack of shock displayed by Rosalee, "Hang on, you already knew. Has Nick told Monroe?" She accuses.

Now Rosalee's fun turns to a degree of discomfort, as Adalind astutely recognises the meaning behind that absence. Furtive eyes and pursed lips confirm all that Adalind suspects. Her skin feels on fire with the embarrassment of her betrayal.

"I suppose they had a good laugh about it..." Eyes glisten with fiery tears, to sting hot cheeks. Her temper rises in defence of her humiliation. She should have guessed, of course she was the joke, she was always the joke! Even the lamp blazes in recognition of her shame. Hang on did that lamp just suddenly get brighter?

Before that thought can even register, Rosalee is almost shouting "God No Adalind!" She attempts to rescue the situation that's taken an unexpected turn. "Yes they talked, but it's nothing like that. Nick's not like that and you know that! He's developing feelings for you Adalind, whether he knows that or not, it's bloody obvious... He's just afraid..." She concludes

"Afraid? Afraid of what?" Adalind is equal parts interested, equal parts excited, equal parts confused.

"He's really happy and that confuses him. He's carried so much guilt. Juliette, Diana. We all carry guilt about Diana," and Rosalee frowns apologetically, and that's enough for Adalind to see that apology in her friend's eyes, "He's happy with you and Kelly. He's a little miracle, how he's healing that wound. He doesn't want to spoil that. He doesn't want to hurt you again."

With that Adalind's monster inside is vanquished, replaced with the yearning for Nick's arms that keep her from breaking night after night.

"You asked how I cope; knowing that Nick puts himself between the light and the dark time after time?" Adalind broaches, "Because I trust he wants to come home to us, more than that darkness wants to kill him." Adalind hadn't really put these thoughts into words before. "Also, he has family that cares about him. 'Roe, Hank, Wu, you; I know you'll always be there for him."

"Damn right we will", Rosalee proudly states destroying the guarded tension that had built up during their conversation. With an acknowledging touch she adds, "And he has you as well, don't forget that, he fights to get home to you both!" And that affirmation is like a sweeping wildfire in her heart.

The jingle of the shop door announces a customer disturbing the loud silence between the friends. So much can be told in the micro-expressions that we share, that we're almost always unaware of. Today they broke the boundary of friendship and acknowledged each other as family, forged in the love for their Grimm and Blutbad, best friends and brothers against an unforgiving and intolerant world.

And it felt right.

So Adalind and Kelly spent the rest of their time keeping Rosalee and herself distracted. Joining in with the stress tidying whilst taking it in turns to manage the localised destruction Kelly could create. Rosalee enjoying her full-on role of favourite Aunt as Adalind quickly became comfortable serving the odd visitor. She provided a very welcome little Hexenbiest directness and knowhow with one particular potion to aid an Eisbiber with a 'performance-anxiety' problem.

There was a short break whilst Monroe caught Rosalee up with how the search was going for his Uncle's murderer. At this time, Rosalee had asked about the whereabouts of the missing Grimm books and had they got anything to do with the attack. Adalind had a brief talk to Nick, worried that this would cause a clash between the Grimm and the Police Officer. Nick wanted to thank her for staying with Rosalee and make sure she was okay waiting for him.

Just before closing time, as the light began to fall along with Kelly's eyelids, Adalind's phone started ringing.

"Hi Nick. How you getting on?" Adalind immediately asks.

"It's over. The guys are dead. We've found the books as well. We're just stashing them before calling it in, as a smuggling ring that used Monroe's uncle as a patsy then turned on each other..." Nick summarises the cover story they've been formulating for Adalind. "Sound believable?"

"More believable than two Anubis Wesen, that bear a striking similarity to sphinx, are trying to murder the ancestral inheritor of the original Brothers Grimm 'curse' who is one of the only 'humans' that can see these Wesen, and yes honest we're not psychotic!" Adalind rattles off.

"Yeah, I was definitely trying to avoid a holiday in a padded environment." Nick confirms. "Listen, you go home and I'll be with you as quick as I can, tell Rosalee that Monroe will be home soon."

"Okay Nick, See you later back home" Adalind takes a deep breath as she closes the call. Monroe and he were safe. The scents of the shop engulf her. She relaxes into the smell. She relays the information to Rosalee and watches the same reaction mirrored on her friend. With exhaustion more about her anxiety than helping in the shop, she says goodnight to Rosalee and with a hug is on her way home, expecting to see Nick in the next hour or so.

It's really late. Like baby sleep-deprivation late. Main-lining coffee late. She tries to not put expectations onto Nick. He's a Cop. He's a Grimm. He's fucking late with no contact. Hank, Rosalee, hell even Wu, none of them had answered their texts. Something had obviously happened. She'd actually considered calling Sean. She had got that psychotically worried. In fact, she had left worry in the rear view mirror and headed into the township of fear and was currently drag-racing through there, straight into down-town pissed. Finally Nick's name flashes up on her phone. She considers ignoring it, but she's too pissed. That annoyed place where non-action is about as possible as non-swearing. It's where actions are punctuated with a growled uttered profanity. He'd better at the very least be calling from the hospital!

"I'm glad you're still up..." Oh really? Glad are you? Then you're going to be fucking stoked!

"We've got to talk..." Dead tone. Never good.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** A big Grimm fan, new to fan fiction but inspired by some great stories on here. Obviously I do not own any existing characters or show dialogue. This is my spin on the existing universe, reincorporating some deleted scenes, with the intention of expanding the Grimmiverse and adding my own characters eventually as well. I hope you enjoy, please feel free to review and critique...

Sorry this has taken so long, unfortunately December and January have been very bad months, plus this is the first fight scene I've ever written!

Also, do you guys want more of the same or to continue more down the AU?

* * *

**EPISODE: KEY MOVE**

_**"It is not down on any map; **_

_**True places never are." **_

**Moby Dick**

No answer. Dead tone. That meant she had to wait until he got back. Adalind did not do waiting well. Probably as bad as Nick him-self. That's why she had tried to call him back. How the hell does he leave it like that? Half an hour ago she'd been righteously pissed and now apprehension was surging through her blood, a rocket fuel shot that had sent her anxiety into high orbit. So she was pacing. Burning through conversations in her head, nothing was alleviating the panic drowning her reason. Adalind decides that she'd throw on her coat and head up to the roof. There she can pace without disturbing Kelly, whilst looking for Nick's arrival. Let's be honest she was watching out for his car like World War II bomber pilots dreaded a search light.

Breath tendrils swim in the icy air as the cold clawed at her bones. The background acetone aroma hints of the old Paint Factory heritage. This mix of acetone and cold burns her throat with each heavy breath. She cradles the heat to her chest. Her clicking heals drumming a worried beat. Another stolen glance at her watch is followed by a snap back into marching. This wasn't a one-feeling-fits-all though, because the background anger was still bubbling away with each acidic swallow. But before she can erupt and spew forth lava of indignation, the Toyota Land cruiser's headlights flood the darkness that had engulfed Adalind. The light from the street lamps suddenly blaze almost in response to Adalind's flare of fear and anger. A bulb blows to shatter Adalind's frozen stare. An electrical short? She can almost feel the energy bound through her body.

Despite her anger fuelled desperation to run at Nick she stayed on the roof and waited for him.

The grating of the elevator gate is followed by "Hello? Adalind?" slight desperation hinting in a voice that dies in the silence of the loft.

"Up here Nick..." she says through the wedged roof door.

His face appears, looking apprehensive, "Ah, there you are, why you up here?" It's only now he sees Adalind's stony look. "What?"

With considerable effort she says levelly "You wanted to talk, so talk..."

"Are you okay? Has something happened?"

This was just too rich; feeling the cracks in the disciplined calm becoming crevices renting her ability to reply in anything but a nuclear rage she replies, "What could have happened Nick?" Her eyes were afire now. "How many hours ago did you ring me to say you were sending Monroe home?" His grey eyes flashed in reply to this sudden barrage while his rationality started to grapple with her words. "Anyway YOU wanted to talk!" Adalind crosses her arms and turns away. She didn't know if she wanted to hug him or slap him. Honest, it was fifty-fifty! Her anger had started to melt under the realisation that Nick was actually okay, only to then reassert itself under his dim-witted confusion.

"Adalind, what the hell is going on with you?"

This forced her to whip round and bring her entire disbelief to bear onto Nick's bewildered face where he started to wither under its full force.

"If this is about how late I am, listen I'm sorry, but seriously we do have to talk..."

"IF? Nick do you understand how worried I was. It's been hours! No call. No texts. No reply to MY messages. Would it have killed you to pick up your fucking phone just once?" Adalind is trembling with temper white patches on her palms betray how hard she had balled her fists to contain this towering emotion. More jarring than the vehemence in Adalind's tone though was her use of profanity. Nick can't remember ever hearing her swear, being out of control like that even. "Now you know why we're up here instead of anywhere near Kelly!"

"Okay Adalind I screwed up, I admit it!"

His apology should have helped, but it really didn't. In fact it just opened the floodgates, "You could have been dead! Or seriously injured... In a car crash... shot on Police duty... Or better still captured or killed by god knows what Wesen group is at war with you this week! What am I suppose to tell Kelly? I'm sure he loved you but I haven't got a clue what happened to your father... Tell him you were killed in a car crash, rather than the truth, just like YOU were?" Wrath was gambolling over anxiety. "I've always thought nothing would stop you getting home to us Nick, Was I wrong? Am I going to be bringing up Kelly Alone?" She knows this is maybe being unfair to him, considering what he's done for her, but that primal fear had overtaken her reason. And to be fair, she felt bloody justified.

"No, you're not wrong. Adalind, please come in side, It's freezing up here. I'll tell you everything."

Adalind slumps in defeat, her anger utterly exhausted for the moment. She leads him down the stairs and silently revels in the sudden blast of heat as she shrugs off her coat.

"I'm tired, just say what you need to say" she says simply. What comes next is the epitome of not expected, or wanted.

"Jesus Christ Nick!" she explodes after he finishes telling her about the keys and the planned trip to the Black Forest with Monroe. "So this insanity is what you've been wading shit deep in and couldn't be bothered to phone me about?"

Nick groans in boyish chastisement. "I know it may be a fool's errand but I've ended up with these keys for a reason..."

"What like fate? Karma? Some cosmic deity decided you'd be the chosen one?" Sarcasm drips from every word. Being in the loft meant she'd stopped shouting but by no means had she stopped fighting. In fact her cold controlled anger was somehow fiercer. This was Adalind Schade; Survivor.

"The keys have been found right, we're pretty sure we know where they point to. Whether we want it to or not, whatever those Grimm Templar Knights decided to hide, it's going to come out." He was desperate for her to understand. "If it's a weapon or some powerful secret then surely it's best if we have it and not the Royals or Black Claw?"

"Pretty sure? We're pretty sure? Oh that fills me with great confidence! So IF you are right, does this mean Kelly and I are going to be sent away?" she slams, but before he can answer she's racing on, "Hidden away is just another bullshit word for imprisoned however you want to sell it."

Nick's face screws in bewilderment. The solidity of his argument quakes under this startling detour. "I bet you didn't think how much more of a target this is going to make you? Make Us?"

The rationality of her argument was irrefutable. If it was to become known that he was in possession of this much sought-after mythical object then there would be a redoubtable reaction from their enemies. Yes it would make them bigger targets. But they'd planned a covert action. "Of course I'm not going to send you away! Rosalee is getting us some fake passports; nobody's going to know it's us, we'll be in and out in 24/48 hours tops..."

Sarcasm then slit the throat of his reason, "Oh yes, because plans always work like that!"

This was going so well. All the excitement that erupted from this evenings' discovery had evaporated. He'd been so engrossed in fables and legends he hadn't considered that this wasn't Adalind's experience of it. Suddenly he remembers his Aunt Marie smuggling her key into his hand, Nick's puzzlement reigning over her hushed insistence. But he'd accepted and protected it with his blood. That blood was now a wildfire, ablaze in the veins of Monroe and him burning through their imaginations.

"These keys lead to nothing but death. You and I both know that." Eyes betray the same memory. She owed her own debt to these keys. To the lives' and the people they've already destroyed. The reality of these toxic objects sat there just mocking her. These keys where the start of their relationship and now they could be the end. "There are a lot of powerful people who will do anything to get their hands on these."

Nick pleads, "Adalind, I..."

"No..." She cuts him dead, this was beyond insanity. "It's not worth it! This is a fantasy someone had 800 years ago" appealing to his reason.

Forcefully he tries, "This might be a waste of my time, but I have to go. My aunt gave me one of these keys. She believed in it."

"It almost cost her, her life."

"And I owe it to her." He left that hanging between them fully aware of its implication. Adalind faltered as the memory of her disguised in a doctor's coat stood over his Aunt's wasted and gaunt body, hypodermic needle threatening what little life she clung to. She sighs in resignation, "I probably owe it to her too. That's why I'm coming; we need you to be safe!"

"We'll be..."

"Nick!" The use of his name is supposed to be jarring. "Do you still see me as some sort of damsel-in-distress? Whether I have my powers or not, I'm still a Hexenbiest, just in case you forgot. I can look after myself..." She doesn't necessarily like reminding him of her suppressed Hexenbiest status. She's no longer that witch. She has no interest in ever being that witch again, but this is too important. She loves how protective he is of her, but that doesn't mean she's suddenly become some helpless Disney princess.

"You can't bring Kelly. He's too young to fly! We'll be..."

"Okay, he'll have to spend some quality time with his Aunty Rose is all..."

That single statement breached all of Nick's remaining barriers. For her to leave Kelly with anyone was beyond his expectation, even with Rosalee. Every protective instinct of hers, he knew, focused around Kelly. It was incredible she'd choose to leave him behind, and for him no less. "It's okay, Monroe will be..."

"I'm fluent in German and in Royal..." she cut across him. Well the Royal part was definitely true, but he'd hoped that their plan meant that wouldn't be a factor.

"I need you to be safe as well. Monroe's going with me. Rosalee will be here with you and Kelly while I'm gone. Trubel will be around as well."

She already knew it was useless to argue any further. "When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow" kills her heart dead.

Words die on her lips. She feels her eyes stinging with the tears she refused to let fall. "This wasn't a conversation I could ever win was it?" She states accusingly as she slowly walks away.

He follows her, "Look, I know you're worried." He was afraid she was going to ask him not to go outright or maybe not to come back. Suddenly it felt like abandonment. Suddenly he was more afraid on what he'd say in reply.

Hesitantly she says "Yeah, I am."

He wants to put her mind at ease. He can see her scrambling for purchase. Seeing her like this, knowing he was causing this was awful. "But you're probably right. It's probably nothing."

"What if I'm wrong? What if what they buried is something evil, something they never wanted found, and for good reason?"

"Well, then they wouldn't have made a map. They would have just destroyed it."

"What if it couldn't be destroyed?" He needs to be prepared for anything. It's not some game. She needs him to understand and to make sure he comes home to them, to her.

"Then they would have just buried it." He says.

She could scream at his flippancy. Maybe she should scream. This can't be happening. Every fibre is on fire from the fear that is coursing through her body. She should have guessed this was all too good to last. Now she could lose him and he didn't understand, he didn't know. It feels like she's been thrown to the winds of fate. Desperation is crawling up her spine, itching under her skin, her need becoming a core of flame.

"I know I can't keep you from going. It's something you have to do. But I also know there's a chance that you won't come back." The tears threaten again. He hadn't even considered that outcome. Eyes darken in reply to her deepest fear, his face tenses with resolve.

"Adalind" he whispers. A finger presses his lips and kills the question in her name.

"And I can't let you go without you knowing how I feel about you" eventually spills from her, she leans in tentatively and kisses him. She feels no flinch or hesitancy in his mirroring lips, only a hidden hunger in his taste. She can smell his deodorant masking the salt and metal of earlier battle; his power and strength. Dark eyes grow soft and fathomless, pleading for that connection, begging for light in the shadow of sorrow. In those slate grey eyes normally so serious and lashed with intent, gentleness crashes over her. The Grimm that this Wesen world demand he be has been washed away and all she can see is his naked humanity remaining in those eyes. Her gaze drops as she unhurriedly undoes the top couple of buttons to tease his firm chest. A ripple of a squirm passes through her body, as an excited pulse jumps; the shirt is lifted over his head. A husky voice long lost to her ears says "And I don't care if this is a mistake. I love you..." Three liberated words uttered allowed that changes everything.

There is a quality to his gaze, as he digests those words, infinite seconds fixed in his eyes. Freeing herself from her shirt, his eyes fall upon the familiar form that has tempted the secret corners of his dreams. A playful dance crosses his lips as he absorbs her beauty that is all her this time. A pensive look dissolves into a kiss as gentle as the first morning light that brushes your face. Soft and warm with the promise of the burning sun heating your body. It's so pleasantly tantalising. Sweeping her hair from her neck, he brushes the nape that causes an almost imperceptible responsive rigidness in her stance. Open moist lips find his. The release valve to the pressure her thrumming heartbeat has built. He kisses the exposed nape, with tongue lightly dancing over her skin. A heavy breath escapes. Gently, with flick and nibble he works down the bony prominences of her spine. Nerves dance a rousing tattoo. Finally she leads him to the bedroom. He follows those weapon-grade legs and ass. As she reaches the bed he holds her, kissing her shoulder before running his tongue deliberately along her electrified spine. Buttocks raise and head stretches back. He buries his head in her hair, paused there inhaling deeply. A floral fragrance heating his very blood. He applies no pressure, so she pushes back in her wanton need. Kisses rain on the sensitive bared skin. A shiver passes through their desire. She moves round to kiss him eagerly, but is stopped abruptly and pushed back onto the bed. He's been fantasising about this for so long, frozen in his arousal, fixing this in his mind. Wearing her confidence as an accessory, her longing smile is interrupted as she bites her bottom lip in knowing anticipation. She sits and slides down his trousers and boxers, they glide effortlessly away. A moan hangs in the air as hands trace skin. He maps her creamy silken body with delicate teasing kisses under a coconut cloud, from one mole to the next. Her body tenses in dark desire as they suddenly crash together. Hands discover every provocative velvet centre. All they can smell is each other's frenzy and the sweetness of their yearning. They only separate once they're utterly consumed, wet with sweat and shimmering passion. Exhausted, they fall asleep in each other's arms.

Nick is awake. He's been lying there in quiet reflection. There was no guilt. He had expected guilt and recriminations. Waking like this felt good. There was no judgement. Prisms of early morning light play across the ceiling. The warmth of the beautiful blonde next to him comforts his stiff muscles. The almond smell of her hair battles against that post coital sweet sweatiness that's hanging in the air. Her breaths are slowly regular, softly dancing on his skin, luring him back into a doze.

_He's engulfed in damp earthy aroma. As he opens his eyes, the moonlight washes through the tree line. It takes him a second to adjust. Distant animal calls ripple ghostly tunes. The porcelain blonde that casually saunters' out of the dark baits him with a voice like a contented kitten meandering across the silence; 'I hope you brought the key Nick. Hank doesn't have much time. –Sorry—I would have thought he meant more to you than that. –He Does—see you at the funeral, Nick. I'll be sure to cry.' The clash of primal violence reverberates across the ruins. They seemed to be rolling through the years as he looks down on the suddenly fearful face that has retracted back from its Hexenbiest form. He crashes lips onto hers. In his domination she almost returns the kiss, before biting down in her fury. He tastes the base metallic liquid start to flow under the numbing pain. He blocks out the haunting scream of her Hexenbiest spirit to the universe, the wretched plea of 'what have you done...'_

Then a hidden memory surfaces piggy-backing on that one. One he's never shared with anyone. It's at the core of his guilt. At the steering wheel of his shame...

_He's seen his mother off with a sleeping baby. Now he's covertly watching the precinct entrance as a desperate woman, hair flying in distress dashes through the granite archways into the road. Even at this distance he can see the fear that's gripping her frantic searching. He has to drive away. She's fallen to her knees anguished and inconsolable. The scream that shatters the windows and windscreens also shatters his heart._

He will never forget that scream, it's etched on his soul. His mind is running through the Adalind playlist of his life; the good, the bad and the ugly. _'A girl's got to Eat!'_ Playful and honeyed it fills his thoughts as he smiles thinking about her mischievous swagger baiting him from behind bars. They had too much history to get fixed into one pattern of thought. Unless that pattern was the curve of her body, veiled under the sheet and silhouetted in the moonlight. He's pretty sure that was the good and it was definitely seared onto his brain and he smiles at that too.

This crazy intelligent beautiful woman, mother of his child is stirring as she gradually wakes. No, there really is no more guilt or judgement, because if there was, there was plenty to go around. And he was done with that.

It felt warm and free, waking in these firm arms, sheltered with the heat of his body on her soft flesh. Wait, what, naked? Adalind, think. Then last night comes rushing back like a dump data download overloading her senses. This was real, no spells, alcohol, temporary loss of sanity or rituals can be blamed. She's just glad she hasn't screamed and ran in those milliseconds before realisation. The erotic playback now running through her head is derailed by the sudden memory of her unrequited admission. The first time she had used those 'three little words' and actually meant them, not weaponized them. Anxiety lands hard, surfing the rumination of the possible thoughts and replies. Really, it was better if he could just never mention that, unless of course he did as well? You know, the L-word. Then it was okay wasn't it? She'd just nudged the love-train then. Christ, just shut up brain!

So time to play it safe and cool Ms Schade. She says softly, "You okay?"

"Yeah."

Yeah! That's it, 'Yeah'? Have I just been out-cooled? Throw a girl a frigging bone here. Almost disbelievingly she says "Really?"

"Are you?" At last some hesitancy!

But Christ how do you summarise all of last night into a single safe sentence? Your brain would literally implode under the weight of WTFs and OMGs! But that doesn't stop the growing smile, the cat that got the cream. "If anyone had said what we did last night was even a possibility, given how we met." Now isn't that the truth!

"No, I wouldn't have believed them either. Especially with how I thought I was going mad seeing all these... monsters?" he finishes uncertainly.

"Charming!" She bats him playfully. But hey, the first time she'd woged she'd nearly freaked! "Yeah, everything in our lives is so complicated, but last night, that all kind of went away. At least for a little while..." For the first time in a long time she had been a woman. A woman rather than a mother.

The moment is stepped on by Nick's insistently humming phone. It feels satisfying that he hasn't unconsciously detached himself from her. And after the call, despite telling her Trubel wanted to see him, his initial reaction is to stay there and just enjoy their closeness. No words were needed, or wanted. She nestles into his arms again, leeching this wonderful comfort. This continues until a waking Kelly eventually forces him, under a flourish of apologies, to grab him out of the crib and pass him to Adalind as he goes to have a shower.

Nick as left the loft and headed to the precinct, armed with the information Trubel as provided so he can brief the Captain, Wu and Hank. Once he knew that they were clued in, he could leave them running point on this newest threat, this Marwan Hanano, whilst he attended to other matters. They'd already decided with Renard's dubious history and flexible moral compass he was just too self-serving to be told anything about Nick and Monroe's Black Forrest expedition. So he was going to be kept out of that particular loop. The Royals and Grimm Keys simply didn't play well together, no matter how diluted the Royal blood.

Meanwhile Nick had left an awkward silence developing between Trubel and Adalind as he headed to the Police station.

Eventually Trubel breaks the ice with a real doozy of a bombshell. "I don't know if Nick has told you, but I've had a word with Eve. About... how she feels about everything." That sat about as comfortable as someone throwing a CS Gas canister into a rest room when you still had your pants round your ankles.

A foggy Adalind coughs into life, as her pulse jumps "Sorry? What do you mean by that?" She sits down at the table and motions Trubel to sit opposite her. She can see the young Grimm cradling her coffee, mirroring her own furred brow, before rubbing her forehead in obvious difficulty. Her mouth forms silent words, as she tests out explanations. It suddenly hits her just how young this girl is.

Trubel's personal awkwardness ramps up in the quiet. Her feelings have been torn ever since she stepped back into Nick's life. She'd found her own purpose with Hadrian's Wall. She was at the tip of the spear. Her tough up-bringing had felt justified since it created the perfect soldier for this war. She was born for the front lines. No obvious family attachments to be manipulated, and with an unhealthy detachment from her own feelings. Distrustful. Guarded. A street fighter. A survivor. All of it allowed Meisner to craft as perfect a Grimm Grenade as Eve was a Weaponized Wesen. There was a lot she had kept from Nick, for his sake, and hers if truth be told. Nick's opinion of her mattered and the soldier she had become may not sit well with him. Not least everything that had happened from the moment she had shot those drugged bolts into a crazed Juliette. The deconstruction of that savage Hexenbiest had been brutal from the few snippets she had gleamed from Eve and Meisner. So that was her secret. How could she ever begin to explain it to him? Adalind had suggested not leaving it too long. Nick was her big brother; Meisner though has become her mentor. More than Nick even, they had both shared the loss and witnessed the monsters that lay beneath the masks. Meisner had taught her how to fight them. That's why she had gone to see Eve. Nick's happiness, his son, the life he'd forged with Adalind that was a loss she was not prepared to accept. She owed Juliette, but Nick was family and Juliette was dead. She'd mourned her loss deeply but then had moved on just like life had taught her. But when death had come a-knocking, her instinct, and her life's-blood had demanded that she find Nick. See Nick one last time. Nick though, he rescued her yet again, had fretted over her battered body. He was her only family, and now that family included Kelly and Adalind. To her it was simple. One plus one plus one equals three. Nick without them now was less than whole. She didn't have the history the others did with Adalind. Maybe that's what helped. All she saw was someone who loved Nick, and even she could see it was reciprocal. So when she'd gone to see Eve, she'd been prepared to kill her, if absolutely needed.

"Okay let's start this again. What do you mean 'You've had a word with Eve' and exactly what encompasses 'everything'?"

"Listen Its obvious Nick L... cares about you"

"So I keep being told"

She swallows with a heavy breathe after the scramble of her slip of the tongue goes by unmentioned. "Well it is. And I've got no gripe with you. Quite the opposite." She takes another deep breath. "You helped me when I needed it, and you didn't have to."

"If you think you owe me something..."

"No it's nothing like that." She cuts in. "Nick deserves to be happy... You make him happy, Kelly and you. I won't let anything or ANYONE threaten that."

"Wait, threaten?" flinty eyes flash as the blonde's mouth suddenly tightens.

"Listen, we both know Nick can't see that Eve is not Juliette."

"It's difficult for him, he loved her..." Adalind says with a sad little voice, as the words die on her lips.

"Yes, but the person he loved is very much dead whether he wants to see that or not." And she can feel the shock emanate from Adalind in reply to her brutal honesty. "We both know how powerful a Hexenbiest she is, so if she was going to be a threat to you all... well I don't have the same problem eliminating that threat." There was a cold finality to her statement that left Adalind with little doubt about its sincerity.

"I don't know what to say..."

"There's nothing to say. Eve doesn't feel she owes Juliette anything and that includes any ill-will towards you and Kelly."

"Okay, that's what she says, but Hexenbiests are not exactly known for their forthright honesty, I should know..."

That was a fair point. "Yeah but believe me Eve, like yourself, is not your normal Hexenbiest and she has no interest in resuming a war with you and Nick."

"So what the hell was she doing 'testing him' and getting him to dispatch Black Claw bodyguards for her?" She can see the face across from her flush.

Another fair point, jeez how does he win any arguments with her? "He's a powerful Grimm and we're going to need that in the up-coming fight, if we want to win. But he'll need to be able to work with Eve!" And even with them both, this is going to be difficult, but there's no point in voicing that. She stands and gives Adalind a small smile. "I need to head back, but I'm going to be keeping an eye on the place whilst Nick's away," much to Adalind's surprise she swipes her phone off the table and starts imputing, "here's my number if you need me, anytime." She hands it back and is gone. Standing in the elevator she thinks to herself; this is going to be interesting.

The car door closes as Monroe passes the hot steaming coffee to Nick. He accepts it with quick mumbled thanks and goes back to scouring the passports.

"We're not far off Wolfach now, I reckon from this we're about an hour and change out..." Monroe states while he's thumbling and juggling between the map he's studying and his own coffee.

Nick conversationally states, "You know these are something else..." looking at the faces of himself and Monroe looking back at him from the passports of Felix Dietrich and Frederick Calvert. "They're true masterpieces, they really are! Do I want to know how Rosalee got these?"

"No, no you do not!" Monroe replies with a rueful shake of the head.

"Well whoever it is, I'm glad because they're an artist! I was sure that customs officer had clocked us. I guess I'm not use to being on the other side of the line, although... I'm definitely getting more comfortable with it..."

"Are you trying to say I'm a bad influence on you?"

"No man; that ship sailed when my Aunt Marie rolled into town and sent me down the rabbit hole!" Monroe smiles back in recognition of no truer a word being said. Here and now they were searching for myths and legends on the trail of archaic clues that hid the secret wealth of Constantinople. Those Grimm Knight Templar's and their keys! A litany of death and deception that has stained the history books of Grimm's and Wesen alike. Hope it was going to be worth it, since he'd just dragged his best friend half way across the globe in search of these fairy tales. Even if he was in his element, wading hip-deep in his ancestral lands, gushing about its beautiful history, he didn't like putting his friend in danger.

"If I didn't know better Monroe, I'd say you where enjoying yourself!"

"You know, I use to love visiting Uncle Felix and his antiquarian bookstore. I could get engrossed in there for days..." His eyes were lost in a memory for a moment.

"Man, I haven't been in the Black Forest since I was, like, 25. We used to come here every couple years when I was a kid. My family hunted here for, like, hundreds of years."

"And when you say hunted, you mean..." Nick's eyes rise in an unspoken query.

"Oh, you know, lots of stuff..." And that really did cover a whole lot of stuff. He'd run wild with Angelina before committing to his Wieder Blutbad life. And here in the Black Forest he had hunted with family. The ghost of those memories had once eaten away at his soul, but it had been saved with the help of his best friend the Grimm, Christ, he could feel a host of his kin somersaulting in their graves. He didn't care though; he was on the treasure hunt of a lifetime. Anyway if it hadn't been that, it would have been his beautiful Fuchsbau Rosalee giving them heart-attacks.

"Yeah..." was all Nick replied. Yep, just sitting in a car reminiscing with a Grimm about the 'hunt', things had definitely changed.

"Trubel?"

"Is everything okay, you need me to come over?" Her voice is tight.

"What? Oh, no, everything is fine but thank you, saying that though, I do actually want to see you. Here. At the loft when you're free."

"I'm busy for most of the today but I could come round in the morning if it's not an emergency. Should I ask why?"

"I want your help with something. And I can't ask Nick."

Well that sounded ominous. What has she got cooking, that she doesn't want help from Nick with? It felt slightly uncomfortable. She'd already been keeping too many secrets, so she didn't want to add any more! Her brain couldn't keep anymore! So she was going to focus on finding Marwan, trying to manipulate the face detection software. Then she was going to see Adalind, albeit a little apprehensively.

The picture postcard Bavarian homes flitted past their car-window as the welcoming sign for Wolfach came into view. Nick could understand why Monroe waxed lyrical about this beautiful landscape. It was breathtaking, but also that's not what they were there for. "Finally!" stated Nick. "We're here..."

"Once we find whatever it is we're looking for, then what?"

"We've got to find it first Monroe, whatever it is..." Nick gives Monroe a look that says this is definitely not a given. Monroe's return look repaid it with kind. "And it depends on what we find."

Monroe took a breath and speculated, "What if it's something that used to be important back then, but isn't a very big deal now? You know? Like eyeglasses?"

Nick smiles quizzically "Eyeglasses?"

Monroe rides the information invitation, "Did you know the first pair of eyeglasses was invented in the 13th century?"

Nick inwardly smiled, "I did not." Then he outwardly laughed.

Monroe ploughed on, "But the thing is, nobody knows who actually invented them. I mean, the idea of magnifying an image using a convex lens, that goes way back, but the poor guy who created the first, like, wearable pair, gets no credit..."

"I don't think we're looking for eyeglasses..."

But Monroe was right. They'd been running headlong into this mystery with very little thought about what the prize was at the end of the race. It was a race that had been running for 800 plus years, and they'd only tagged in very recently. So what could be an 800 year old prize to those Grimm knights? Could it be the hidden gold of Constantinople, or a precious religious relic, a prize that had turned into dust over 800 years or even bloody eye-glasses? What were they putting their lives on the line for now the finishing line was finally in-sight? He'd told Adalind that he had to see this through, but for the life of him right now he couldn't remember exactly why that was so important.

Monroe ignored the pregnant pause, "Well, that's good, 'cause I can never find mine. This is a nice-looking little dorf."

"Yeah lovely..." What the hell was he doing here? Why had he left Adalind and Kelly back in Portland? A place where he knew Black Claw was active and gunning for him and his. Sure, Trubel was there, ready and willing to look after his family, but why was he in the Black Forest not doing that himself! If he carried on like this he could lose them. And what exactly was he losing? The way they had left it was... complicated... Or maybe not complicated at all! It had felt very right while they were lying in each other's arms. Their shared history of mistrust and violence in the end had barely even registered. What had registered was the pain in Adalind's eyes knowing he was still going to walk out of that door. It clawed at his soul. "I slept with Adalind..."

"What?" Monroe's jaw dropped through the car floor. Not that it happened; Man, if that wasn't as inevitable as was Nick's ability to discover and then bury him-self neck-deep in trouble. That he decided to just drop it nonchalantly into the conversation, damn it, if that wasn't cold!

"I just thought I should tell you."

"What happened to, you know, a less complicated life-style?"

"You know me Monroe, I like boring" Nick gives him his most winning cop smile.

"Okay. I mean, it's not like you haven't slept with her before, but this time you, like, actually knew it was her. So that probably made it different. I mean, did it?"

Well there was that. "The first time I slept with Adalind I thought it was Juliette, and when I slept with Adalind the other time, it actually was Juliette, and this time I was with the mother of my child." Did I just hear myself say that? Yes I think I did... Yeah I love boring! "So, yeah, I would say it was very different. She's changed so much." And that too was true.

"Oh, yeah, she has. I just hope she stays that way. Do you think you're in love with her?" Rosalee had already voiced her opinion on Nick's obvious feelings, and they had talked about Adalind's suppressant only the day before they'd left. A suppressant was temporary but a Hexenbiest is permanent. Hexenbiests have a bad habit of wanting Grimm's' dead, or at the very least terminally unhealthy to their benefit. That had been Adalind down to a tee. The way she looked at him now, that was a whole different sort of trouble, unrivalled in their world; A Grimm and a Hexenbiest and a child.

Nick ponders that, because he's been pondering that ever since he awoke enveloped in her sultry scent. He's going to lie. He knows it. Why? Because he loved boring and the answer to that was as far from boring as you could get! "I don't know..." and this isn't the time, "That's the church..."

The church and the search go as well as to be expected. That is to say, there was a lot of misdirection, searching, falling into holes and coming face-to-face with skulls. Oh yes, and pocketing the ultimate prize. It's just another day living in fairy-tales. It wasn't quite eye-glasses, but what was a wooden stick to the Templar Grimms'; a holy relic? Whatever it was, they were on their way home though.

Trubel's bike roared to a stop. She frees her hair and looks directly into the camera perched over the Garage shutters. With that visual confirmation, the rollers start to move exposing the bay beyond. Slowly rolling the bike in, her forehead wrinkles as Adalind's feet, legs and then body, holding Kelly, gradually appears in the descending elevator. A nod in welcome and Adalind's motioning her to follow as she wriggles through a previously unnoticed rusted metal flaking door, now wedged ajar. Deep grooves are clawed into the concrete floor. Any other time her brain would be yelling 'Trap' as loud as it could.

Adalind's baggy sweat top catches on the handle, before she can help unhook her she's free and slides through the door using her freehand to protect Kelly's head. Once in the cavernous factory space beyond, it took a few seconds for eyes to adjust to the broken gloom. Windows caked in grease dirty the daylight fighting through. The cold of the day snakes through the few long missing panes, a chequer-board illumination. Kelly's blue eyes are bright and watching eagerly, as he's hooked into his bouncy chair in a recently cleared area. Still completely baffled about what was going on, she's searching for clues. A sweep of the space shows that the area has been cleared of major obstacles and debris. The benches looked solid and cumbersome, haphazardly skewed across the floor, definitely not easy to move. Cushioned matting underfoot suddenly dulls her footfalls as she approaches the blonde now bending down, adjusting her sneaker tongues, pulling down the bottom of her tracksuit pants. Realisation begins to dawn. "Okay, colour me interested, why are you converting the factory into your very own personal workout area? Are you channelling your inner Jane Fonda?"

A smile spreads across her face. A memory of watching her foster-mother stretch in front of an old VHS recorder wanders in for a brief visit.

A look of curiosity on Adalind replies to her smile. "A workout I can get from lugging Kelly around. Believe me!"

"Okay, so not a workout?"

"You've hinted more than once about how dangerous Black Claw is, about how bad this fight is going to get..."

Anxiously shifting weight from one foot to another, she states simply "Well yeah!"

"Then you're going to help me get battle ready" the hammer drops.

"Wait? What?"

"Until I get my Hexenbiest back, I'm a liability and that makes Kelly vulnerable."

She knows her face is saying 'BS'.

"Okay maybe not a liability, but we are vulnerable."

"I thought that's why I was here?"

"And what..? Are Nick and you going to be my own personal Grimm army?"

"So what does Nick think of this", A heavy sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"He doesn't know and I don't want him to know."

A resigned inward groan, "I don't know whether I'm comf..."

"Listen," Adalind cuts in, "I'm not arguing about this. I can't just sit on the sidelines, especially if we're going to be targets and I can't rely on powers I haven't got."

"So why no Nick?"

"Because Nick is Nick... he's protective and I love that about him and he wouldn't want me in harm's way, he'd see that as him failing, but we both know I'm already IN harm's way. And at some point they're going to come after Kelly and me."

"I know" she sighs resignedly, Nick's reluctance to fully embrace his Grimm nature and fully understand the peril that the Kehrseite world really faced from this well organised and funded global Wesen terrorist organisation makes everyone vulnerable.

Taking a deep breath, "So what do you mean by 'battle ready'?"

"Even when I was a Hexenbiest Gal, my power was always more in potions and rituals. I used my head not my fists. That's how I was taught. My mother wasn't much for the physical stuff. She didn't like to break her nails. Now I need to learn how to fight without powers, how to defend myself and Kelly if I have to..."

"So close quarters combat, alright?"

"If that's what you call it, can you do that... can you help me?" she feels the tug of the wide eyes and nervous smile in front of her.

Suddenly she's dissecting her body shape, stance, height, subjecting her to her own filter of training and experience. It's automatic, unconscious and exhilarating. She gets to be the teacher after being the student for so long. Her 'yes' is out before she can even reconsider.

"Great! So what do we do first?"

"C'mon I want to see what I'm working with" she motions to Adalind to take a stance opposite her. She pushes tugs and pulls the blonde into a better fighting stance.

"Right, I'm just going to defend, all you gotta do is hit me..."

"Are you sure?" "Yes...Hard!"

Shuffle of the feet with an exhale of breath. Lines tighten around the blondes eyes. Focus. Pivot backwards, then right hook. All telegraphed.

Easy block left.

Left hook.

Step inside, raised elbow, right block.

Lips pursed. She stumbles into a swing... Pivot and miss.

Step back. Fall into a spring. But don't release.

Bigger swing... Block...

The blonde is inhaling quicker now. Gritted teeth and clenched jaw match the narrowing eyes.

"I said hit me..." It's meant to antagonise, to motivate, to keep her off kilter.

"I'm trying to!" she hisses back.

Another shuffle, then she steps into this punch. It's explosive. Venomous!

Ducks into this block, using her elbows as Meisner taught her.

But that definitely struck harder.

Now she's dancing from one foot to another. She's invested.

Small movements, looking for a gap.

Hook. Block.

Jab. Batted away.

Jab. Again batted away.

Hook. Block.

She's puffing harder. Eyes tight and focused. Beads of sweat slip down the blondes face.

She comes on strong. Blocking is less easy. Quicker punches. Taught neck muscles.

Two wild swings, then Bam... Copper taste... The cheek stings. She opens her left eye to see a smile spread on Adalind's face. Warm sticky liquid blurs her vision. She smears away the blood with her thumb. So her suppressed Hexenbiest wasn't as completely suppressed as advertised. She's stronger than the average human. Good to know. This was getting interesting.

"Right, good... I'm off just defence now."

Now they were dancing the dance, eying warily as they circled each other. The choreography was set, now to establish her dominance. Each bounce took her nearer. Forcing Adalind backwards, watching her furtive looks seeking the free space, increasing behind Trubel. She pushes at her. Tension in the push-back as she's increasingly boxed in. They grapple. The smell of salt and sweat and almond is pervasive in their close proximity. Adalind explodes throwing her backwards, chased with a wailing strike across her raised blocking arms. No pain at first. Then the welt on her forearm starts to sting in complaint. The 3 lines looks like a cat scratch, which is weird as Adalind often bites her nails, an anxious habit she's often witnessed in her. She's not balling her fists now. They're clawed. Ready to strike.

Another piercing shriek. A wall of air follows her duck. She reverses her stance. Letting the blonde step into the upwards knee strike. Crouch and whip around with her trailing leg sends Adalind crashing onto her back. Wet heat across her cheek. She licks her thumb clean as she wipes her cheek. That metallic taste is prominent. She sets herself again.

Adalind takes her time to get to her feet. Measured. The strike is sudden. This time she steps into it. Allowing the blonde to fall into her hip, the quick pivot lets her use the momentum to toss her to the ground beyond her.

She slowly gains her footing again. A ferocious feral glower looks back at her. Adalind springs into a downward strike, full force focused at her face.

Quickly she shifts her weight backwards, and spins.

The sweeping leg jars against Adalind's braced legs.

Then there's air and the groaning thud.

She straightens and looks down to see the crumpled blonde.

"Are you okay?" The offered of assistance is ignored. "Yeah..."

She gets up, but is favouring her left leg.

"Right I've seen what I need to see. You're not as bad as I thought. There's definitely something we can work with."

"I'm okay to carry on, I don't need protecting..."

"This isn't training this was me finding out what I'm working with. We'll work this out, but I'm not lying to Nick; if he asks, I'm telling, Okay?"

"That's fair enough. Listen... Thanks..."

"Don't thank me yet" she bends over Kelly and gives his tummy a tickle to the young boys responding chuckle. "We need a better and bigger area to work in so let's get stuck in", although the old factory floor was an inspired choice, it remained cluttered. Moving her leather jacket, she directs Adalind to help her. Soon they're putting their combined strength into pushing the tables up against the walls. They don't need any stray glass or metal debris causing infected injuries so they're grabbed brushes, mops, and buckets and cleansing the area of its dereliction and grime.

Dragging a tall metal double locker, grating across the floor she calls to Adalind, "We can use these lockers for weapons. They're securable and you're going to need to know how to use them with your size." Hands on hips, a pout spreads across the face opposite her. "Hey you wanted my help" Adalind sighs and nods resignedly then goes to Trubel to help her.

"Okay, but help me to drag this one over as well, I can use it to store my training gear, so Nick doesn't see it..."

"I'll bring down some more throw mats, a punching bag and kick stand for training. You are planning on telling Nick aren't you?"

"Of course, just like you are about to divulge your Secrets, we're both waiting for the right time..." The comeback stings deep, that knot tightens and she knows it's no less true for that.

"Right, I've got to run, see you soon..." and she's disappearing through the door. There's a nagging doubt itching at the back of her mind. Adalind's strength was... surprising. Her ability to tap into her animalistic nature so easily was going to be useful in her training. She keys the bike engine, pulling on her helmet. She pauses for a beat, something felt wrong though, but she was running late, she had missed messages from Meisner and had to get back ASAP. She'll be glad when Nick and Monroe are back safe and sound...


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** A big Grimm fan, new to fan fiction but inspired by some great stories on here. Obviously I do not own any existing characters or show dialogue. This is my spin on the existing universe, reincorporating some deleted scenes, with the intention of expanding the Grimmiverse and adding my own characters eventually as well. I hope you enjoy, please feel free to review and critique...

Maya is a character from the Grimmiverse introduced in the comic; _The Coins of Zakynthos_, albeit I'm not following that storyline.

Also, do you guys want more of the same or to continue more down the AU?

**Episode: INTO THE**

**SCHWARZWALD**

_**"What's past is prologue..."**_

**The Tempest**

The tea's been steeping for a few minutes, heavy breaths count just a few more normal moments before she blew up her life again. It'll be one of the most difficult discussions she'll ever have because they had been building something good here. Something real. Well real for her. Maybe completely bonkers to anyone else. But there had been too many hints for her to continue ignoring this though. Too many flared lights mirroring flared emotions. Just too many god damn clues!

Her Hexenbiest was coming back and she needed Rosalee's help to cage it again. Well that and a minor miracle.

Then in the next breath, Rosalee is responding to the tinkling bell that alerts her to a new customer. Her tension relaxes a beat as she watches the brunette disappear. However the delay is pitifully short. She's already saying goodbye but now incredulity fills her voice.

"I can't believe it. It's horrible..."  
Adalind asks, "What happened?"  
Shockingly Rosalee returns with the bombshell, "Somebody killed Andrew Dixon!"

Adalind recounts the few political ads she's caught. Seemingly smooth without being oily, vibrant and smart, chiselled and eloquent; just a great P.R. wet dream. Exactly what her old Hexenbiest would have loved devouring. It had hardly been a surprise when she heard Renard had become entwined with his political campaign, even going as far as endorsing the candidate. Back scratches all round 'Chief Renard', or is it all hail 'Commissioner'? It was the perfect Biester move; be it Zauber or Hexen. Hitch your wagon to a rising star nice and early and get your claws in deep. Then watch your position strengthen as they gain power and favour, helping you rise above the ranks of mediocrity. Always ensuring you stay in the background, and always under the radar. If the Council, or the Royals, Verrat, or most of all any Grimm knew your name, you'd lost. In the case of a Grimm, that may include your head. This had all the Half-Royal's classical panache. If it's him, this must hurt. Inwardly she can admit to herself she didn't mind that. No, she didn't mind Sean Renard hurting at all. What? Maybe the witch will always be there. "That the guy running for mayor?"

Her shock is palpable as she exclaims, "Yes, he was shot at a rally just a couple of hours ago!"

"Oh my God..! Did they get who did it?"

The delicate mocking chime of the door ignores Adalind's rumination. Rosalee is already greeting them as she answers "I don't know. A customer just told me. She didn't know anything more than that."

The blonde is back to chewing her thumb. Did this have something to do with... what was the guys' name? Marwan... Yes, that was it! This was Black Claw, she was sure of that, but how this helped them was anyone's guess. Maybe they owned the opposition? And Nick's away! Her reason suddenly gets car-jacked by the anxiety of that fact. What IF that is exactly what they wanted? Has Nick been played? Is this a long Con? Are Monroe and Nick walking into a trap? She can't warn them. Chaos ran riot in her thoughts. Just Breath... That can't be true! Black Claw wanted the Grimm family history tree, had seemingly known nothing about those hidden keys. No, this was just stupid, stupid luck! But Trubel was away as well? That felt more than a random inconvenience. During her surprise visit, Adalind had gained more mats and some equipment as promised, but then Trubel had left just as quickly saying HW needed her elsewhere. She'd left her with a couple of exercises that she'd dutifully practiced and blasted out of there and of course she hadn't disclosed where or what the nature of the threat was. Just that she hadn't expected it to take more than 48hrs. So it was geographically nearby; Continental America, maybe South America at a push. It didn't matter, wherever she was, it wasn't here! Another Grimm gone and needed worrying about! These dangerous monsters of her Wesen fairy-tales, they were a bloody nuisance. Just running headlong into nightmares with no thought about the ones they leave at home stressing. A ripple of anxiety runs through her chest, stealing her breath. Nick wouldn't have been pleased if he had known. He worried about Trubel and he didn't wholly trust Hadrian's Wall. And whatever the secrets Trubel was keeping for HW had driven a wedge between them. She swallowed the acrid taste of her own deceit. This family had so many secrets that it was drowning under the weight of its silence. It was positively Wesen in its Shakespearean tragedy. She didn't exactly trust HW herself, but she at least trusted Meisner. He saved Diana and her. But that only seemed to drive more distrust between Nick and Meisner and HW! There was an undercurrent of jealousy emanating from both men that shrouded Adalind. She had been very surprised and maybe secretly a little thrilled, but in the end, it was just more evidence of her complicated history impacting on her present and potentially polluting their future. Then there was Eve. Christ, you couldn't suspend enough disbelief to swallow that Grimm-rated Hollywood script! More than ever it was imperative that she trained with Trubel. Nick had left under the comfortable impression that there would be at least one Grimm around, but now HW had left her exposed. He'd be fuming. Then there was this new act of violence. Andrew Dixon, (who'd coveted the King's crown), had been removed from the game, nothing more than a sacrificial pawn. Even in mid-forming of that thought, a chill scream ran up her spine. You learned to respect that instinctual internal siren. She'd ignored it once at the behest of a duplicitous lover...

–_She's sharing a joke as she leaves the coffee shop with her sorority sister and fellow Hexenbiest and attorney Serena Dunbrook. At whose expense she cannot remember. They say goodbye, not knowing that was the last time she was going to see her alive. Hexenbiests' don't live in fear, they Are fear. Two men are opposite by an open car just shooting the breeze, casually taking in their surroundings, taking in her. A satisfied smile puts a sway into her hips as she captures those grey slate eyes of the younger man, stalking her figure. The alarm of foreboding is a body slam. Her overwhelming flight or fight response is drowning out the world. Her heart explodes, primal fear pumping through her veins, beating, trying to escape. The surge of adrenaline rides a wave of nausea, saliva thick in her throat. Muscles grip and twist. Penetrating eyes rip away the mask. In the midst of her unintentional woge all she can see are those black voids as her blood boils with the call to flee!–_

She didn't and see where that had got her; shacked up with the Grimm and his baby! You need to hurry up home Nick, and please, please be okay!

The startling thunderclap of voices and smashing glass shatters Adalind's thoughts. She tunes into the wheedling, ratty male voice she doesn't know screeching threats, "You know me, Rosy, and you should know better than to piss me off!"

The shrapnel of glass echoes in percussion while a distraught Rosalee screams "Get out!" She hears the sickening dull slap of flesh hitting the floor. It galvanizes her intervention hearing the growl, "You owe me, Bitch!" as she slips past the partition. The dirty brown haired man hunched over her friend decides to raid the cash register, sly intimidation in every step.  
"Stop it! Leave her alone" She shouts automatically.  
His attention abruptly falls on her now. She barely hides a shiver of revulsion as greedy eyes hungrily digest her, "How much money you got?"  
"I'm calling the police" she challenges in a vain hope of scaring this toad off.

Instead it only enrages him more. Vehemently he spits "The hell you are..." and he woges. In such open defiance it's brazen and shocking. He's either guessing they're all wesen or he's simply too strung out to care, but he's immediately in her face. The smell of rotten fish lingers on his breath over those small sharp spindly teeth leering at her. Black eyes focused entirely on her as the brown scaly face with its bony plated crown moulds into the Kachenkopf. The two small insectal antennae seem to snuffle at the air around her. She's glad he retracts. She can't imagine there being a more apt name for a low-life. But his hands are on her, forcing her backwards, "Still want to call the cops?"

Fear shackles the blonde. Wind rushes through her ears with the thrumming of her heart beating a tattoo on her ribcage. Curled fingers form fists, nails digging into her palm. The pain rips through her. Oxygen floods her body, under heaving gulps. Rosalee's voice is distant like a memory "Tony, no!" reaching her ears under the blanket of water. Stomach churning under torturous gut cramps, Tony lifts back his hand ready to strike. Survival overwhelms thought, she clenches watching the hand in slow motion glide towards her face. Waiting for pain, time stands still. His hand stands still. Recognition of shock on his face, as he's held in the invisible embrace, panic slowly transcends his confusion. Her eyes are still drawn to that hovering hand trembling in its attempt to break free, and then she feels her mind wrestle grip more solidly. Slowly, deliberately she feels the sinew, tendons, and muscles stretch, split and eventually tears. Each finger bends back and breaks, punctuated with an agonising scream of pain.

The two women are stunned statues as Tony slinks out of the shop. Adalind is afraid to look at Rosalee, afraid to see the revulsion and fear in her friend's face. The moment she has dreaded as finally arrived. Her Hexenbiest is out of the bag. She wanted more time. She needed more time.

Rosalee regains her composure and quickly goes and locks the door behind him, whilst Adalind is embracing a major meltdown; "Oh, God! Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God, oh, my God..." She's cradling herself amidst the swan-dive into a bottomless chasm of what ifs and maybes. She's somewhere between way too early and way too late to tell Nick. All she can think is that he's going to hate her. Going to want this Hexenbiest gone. Away from him and away from his child. She will lose everything again. And this time it may very well destroy her so she's lost to repeatedly whispering "It can't be back. I don't want it back..."  
Seeing her friend spiralling out of control she attempts to assure her "Maybe-maybe it's just... temporary".  
Adalind knows with certainty that this is not temporary. She had started the day thinking she had time. Time to find a suppressant work-a-round and time to tell Nick. "No, I can't have it back. I never want it back. Don't-please, you can't tell Nick. Please promise me that you won't tell him. He'll get rid of us. Please, you can't tell him."

Having guided the blonde to the cot in the backroom she's already adding calming spices to a pot of tea. Rosalee was takenaback with Adalind's unexpected emotional collapse. Everything this blonde had been through shouted strength and screamed survivor. The Adalind who fought Nick had been shameless. But here she was a mere broken shadow. Hexenbiests didn't endear sympathy. They were nightmares of the wesen world. But the heartfelt dread was real and her pleas were wretched.

Her unique sensitivity and intuition had provided an empathy that was unrivalled in the group, had even seen the tender shoots of love sprouting between the Grimm and his Hexenbiest. But she still hadn't realised just how doubt-plagued and precarious the blonde still felt in her life. Something needed to change. "I won't tell him, but you can't keep it from him, if it happens again. It would be so much worse if he found out and you hadn't told him." Nick wouldn't care, he loved her. But their relationship might not survive that loss of trust. 

"I can't go back to being that." The very thought made her blood run icy with irrationality.  
"But you are so different now. Maybe it would be different even if it came back. Just look at how you are reacting." 

A kaleidoscope of all the bad that she has done as a Hexenbiest, all the people she has hurt, runs like a movie in her head. Sure she could pretend all the sly manipulation and destruction she participated in was Sean, or her mother, but in the end she had worshipped the witch inside with the power and attention it craved. "You don't understand what it's like being a Hexenbiest, what it does to you, the way it makes you think and feel." An itch you scratch with razor blades. She finishes lamely "It's not good."  
Taking her hands, and with as much reassurance as she can muster the Fuchsbau asks, "Okay tell me what it's like..."

"How? This is useless..." She lashes out. "We both know what happened last time Nick came face-to-face with the idea of a relationship with a Hexenbiest!"

"It'll help if it gives us a clue on how to approach this... And it was Juliette who gave up on Nick, not the other way around" It was said with a little more bite than she intended. So softer she adds, "She chose being a Hexenbiest over us all..." She remembers Juliette coldly and indifferently forcing Nick's gun to point at her Monroe before pulling the trigger. Juliette had bathed wantonly in that power. Anger flares in Rosalee's eyes.

Adalind misreads it, and sighs. It was so hard to explain just how a Hexenbiest spirit invades and infects your thinking. It's a hunger so deep that it's deathless, a fire raging through the veins thirsting for its next fix. Sated only by power and then only for the shortest time. "It's like an infection that robs you of your decency and empathy."

"You've already given it up once by choice and now rejecting it all over again. I'd say you're already very different to Juliette. And to be honest any Hexenbiest I've ever known." That had struck a real chord. She made a mental note to research the _Contaminatio Ritualis_. After all Adalind's control over her Hexenbiest nature seemed uniquely different now.

"Maybe" Adalind softly says.

With renewed insistence "Maybe we can find a way to boost the suppressant."

"Maybe" Adalind repeats with little conviction.

Adalind's night was very unsettled. Chaotic thoughts have birthed unsettled dreams.

–"_I know what you are!" The threat is inherent with the accusation. Her feeling of superiority is dissolving under his piercing slate-eyed gaze, stripping away her protection, demanding only truth. Sat in a chair gripping the arms, fingernails clawing the cloth, holding back her elemental fear. Face-to-face with the hereditary enemy, her mind is tumbling over the growing terror. Pleading to a Monster's morals. His triumphant smile as her Woge explodes, before she slowly regains control. "If something happens to me, it won't just be a Grimm killing a Hexenbiest; it'll be a cop who's let an innocent woman die on his watch... Up... To... You..!"_— She thought she could manipulate the Grimm, as she annunciates every word of that challenge. Beauty in battle, they loved the fight. It had always been thus, between her and her Grimm. Would he stay her Grimm, now the enemy had returned? Where are you?

"Stop scratching at it..." Nick frowns in annoyance, "you'll only infect it!"

"You mean infect it more" Monroe's waspish reply is automatic, "it's already infected... you mean infected more... which is a dichotomy may I add!"

Nick stops himself from reacting. He'd been slowly getting more irritated with Monroe's increasingly vocal bellyaching. The autobahn was a bland landscape on their way back to Munich International Airport. Open ended tickets offered a tantalisingly quick escape. They were racing because, as prophesied by Adalind, things had got complicated. To be fair the bite on his forearm, was starting to look really quite angry. The bleeding had ceased so small mercies! Shaking his head to himself, he asks "Is that going to be okay?"

"I think so. But that Ungeziefer Greifer should definitely book an appointment at the orthodontist. I'm sure he left a tooth in here!" He grips his arm with a puff of pain.

"Ungeziefer Greifer?" Nick stumbles over the pronunciation.

"Keep Up! The sneaky 'lil git that bit me." Monroe's frustrated features square off with Nick's confusion. "Loosely translated it means '_vermin_' claw so no wonder it's become infected." He punctuated the 'vermin' with a spiteful look.

"You mean infected more..." Nick stole a sideways glance at the Blutbad. Beads of sweat populated a flushed brow. Repeat the mantra with me; _get back home and all will be well_.

Meanwhile in Wolfach, Father Eickholt and his flock have returned back to the church rectory. He'd angrily sent those dotards Dolph and Ludwig home with some distinctly less than Christian language. It was his own fault for using Wettbewerbsgewinner. They may look intimidating but they were simple minded. Even so! _'Herr, vergib mir meine Gotteslästerung'_ _(Lord, forgive my blasphemy)_ he thinks to himself as he makes the sign of the cross. He'll apologise tomorrow, tonight he had to make some calls. Whatever they were up to in the ruins, an unknown Grimm wondering freely around the Black Forest could only spell danger for the local Wesen community. And it had the Royals footprint all over it.

"Hallo Schmitt, wir haben ein Grimm-Problem" _(Hello, Schmitt, we have a Grimm problem)_ his crisp voice explains over the phone. He nods to the reply. "Ja, ich vermute auch die königlichen Familien. Ich denke, wir sollten unsere Freunde im Laufer heute Abend wissen lassen, dass im Schwarzwald ein Grimm los ist."_(Yes, I'm suspecting the Royal families as well, I think we should let our friends in the Laufer know tonight that there's a Grimm loose in the Black Forest)_

"Sie waren in einem silbernen Volkswagen Tiguan. Es hatte Mietaufkleber von Munich International **...** Ja das ist richtig**...** Lass mich wissen was passiert und Schmitt bitte und sei vorsichtig **...**_**.**_" _(They were in a Silver Volkswagen Tiguan. It had rental stickers from Munich International... Yes that is right... Let me know what happens, and Schmitt please be careful)_ the conversation was quiet but earnest. He ends with "Der Herr liebt alle seine Geschöpfe, Gott geht mit dir, Sohn" _(The Lord loves all his creatures, God go with you son)_ before he puts the phone back onto its receiver with an ominous click.

The priest looks gravely at his caretaker. "Gottlob, denkst du, ich hätte ihnen von der Krypta des Kreuzfahrers erzählen sollen?" _(Well Gottlob, do you think I should of told them about the crusader's crypt?)_ The timid man shakes his head nervously.

"Nein, ich auch nicht, das ist unsere heilige Pflicht. Wir sind die Beobachter durch die Zeit." _(No me neither, that is our sacred duty. We are the watchers through time)_

The Priest and care-taker face each other solemnly and in a pact that has crossed centuries...

: "Wir sind die Hüter des Schwertes und des Kreuzes"

(_We are the guardians of the sword and cross_)

Gottlob: "Wir sind die Uhren durch die Stille der Zeit"

(We are the watches through the stillness of time)

: "Wir verpflichten uns zu unserer Stärke"

(We pledge our strength to the order)

Gottlob: "Mit Blut Zahn und Klaue"

(With blood tooth and claw)

And now the hunt was on! But, behind his original confidence there is a well of doubt bubbling. What they were guarding was lost to antiquity. Nobody had broken that sacred ground for centuries. A distant Blutbad ancestor, a grand master of the_ Secundum Naturae Ordinem Wesen,_ had killed the Guardian of the time and entered the crypts. He had been driven mad by what was down there and died at the hands of the Gevatter Tod. A better death than he'd deserved. But from then on, his families' bloodline had pledge them-selves to this sacred Guardianship. They had studied and they had watched. Exactly 'what', had been lost with the death of that murdered Guardian, but whatever it was, it was powerful and dangerous to the whole world, Kehrseite and Wesen. An inkling of a memory slithered to the surface of his consciousness. He quickly retired to his study. Turning on the desk lamp, light struggled to reach the corners of the room, dying in the silence. He faced the bookcase with its assortment of history, sociology, religious, and hymn books. He slid his fingers over the upper decorative wooden facia searching for the knot. With the releasing click, the bookcase suddenly became fluid, easily moved aside on secret casters. Behind it was the secret repository of the Guardians. The disturbed air smelled of dusty ancient parchments with an undercurrent of slightly sour moldy leather. He avoided the books bound with the old skin of heathen Kehrseite. As a man of God he didn't like to dwell on the violent apathy of history. He located the scroll and gently pulled it from its nook, blowing the excess dust of generations away. He held the Book of Memory; its beautiful Latin Gregorian decoration lacing over the top scroll. He had not read this since as a seminarian and young doe-eyed Blutbad he was inducted into the _Orden der Wächter _many, many moons ago. The Foederis heu taciti, prophetata referantur Gladium Discumque crucis –_The Untold prophecies of the Sword and cross_— lay in its pages, only known to the Dean of the Watchers. He lifted the top parchment of the scroll, the crackle of the dry pages threatening its delicate structure. Skimming the archaic scribe, he ran his finger down until he found the passage he wanted. Yes, this was it;

**Ubi niger, luscus venator amittat antiqua consanguinitate vocationem eripere mors est occultatum filios et conteram virgam panis de puero lunae, tum ex longa custodiebantur thesauros in gladio et Cross et statim iterum videbimus lumen in novum orbem terrarum. Quod quamdiu pugna atque abysso, et ceciderit inimicus sempiternus et fracta est. De eorum societate secundum naturam esse pollutum duxerit, communione non libera natus est qui autem mundus ...**

The fine Latin script was difficult to transcribe in the study's light under the aging of oxidization and scholarship. Thankfully on a scrap of parchment leaf under the entry was a translation albeit in English;

—**When the black eyed hunter forgoes his ancient blood call to deliver death to the hidden children he will break bread with the child of the moon, then the long guarded hidden treasure of the Sword and Cross will once again see the light in the new world. The long abyss will fight and fall and an ancient enmity will be finally broken. From their unnatural alliance an unholy communion will be born that will deliver the world...— **

And of course half of it was unintelligible gibberish. The universe simply doesn't give up its secrets that easily. It holds onto them so very closely, guarded like precious children. A resigned sigh kills the quiet.

The _'black eyed hunter'_ who wilfully kills the '_hidden children_' was always thought to refer to Grimms and Wesen. The child of the moon was obviously a Blutbad. And as incredible as a friendship between a Grimm and a Blutbad was to envisage, their visitor had been a Grimm, and the scent from his accomplice was undoubtedly that of another Blutbad. They certainly appeared friendly. He shudders at that thought. Old prejudices die slowly. Even in a man of the cloth. The hidden treasure of the cross and sword he always surmised was the secret treasure of Constantinople. Grimm historians told of the fabled keys of the Grimm Crusader knights and the bloody search by the Royal families'. But now he was uneasy with that assumption. Surely for something THIS important the families would have sent a small army, definitely the Verrat, after all they were their attack-dogs! The rest was just a microscopic view into the insane ramblings of the original Guardian. So what will they '_deliver the world'_ to; Good or ill?

He was a man of Faith and as such he had to deliver his doubts to that faith; Faith in God, Faith in the Universe, and Faith in the Order. If the prophecy was real then a Grimm was fated to discover its most sacred secret and maybe he was the witness to histories hushed symphony.

So this lowly priest delivers you to your fate and he'll listen to whether the world trembles in fear or whispers of your greatness. Praying for the latter and fearing the former, but whichever the prophecy will have out...

Nick has driven through the night and is fast approaching the autobahn exit for Munich Airport. He feels shattered, the adrenaline crash hitting him hard. Monroe looks pale in the feeble light of a growing dawn.

"Can you put the heating on I'm freezing my Canastas off here..." Monroe asks through chattering teeth. Thirty minutes ago he'd ventilated the car like he was neck deep in the Sahara, this wasn't good.

"Just hang on in there bud, we're almost at the airport."

Nick parked up in an available space next to the car rental offices. He gets out of the car and stretches. Revels in the release as the tightness falls away. Wanting to get away as early as possible, he drops the car-keys and return paperwork into the overnight post box. As he returns to the car he opens the boot and recovers the first aid kit. Quietly closing it, his friend, a height normally struggling to contain his huge personality now looks vulnerable, all wan and tainted by his symptoms. His friend, his confidante, his family; he had to get him home to Rosalee. If he didn't, she'd kill him! He sighed. Monroe had witnessed his Grimm birth, been his personal Grimmapedia and eventually his best friend. And just look where he'd led him. Adalind's warning rings loud in his ears and all he can say is '_you were right, I'm an idiot_!' He gathers his tiring determination with a balling of his fists and he thinks to himself, '_Don't worry bud_ _I'll get you home no matter what'_.

Whilst the time ticked slowly down, Nick scanned the area, his cop brain running on automatic as he fought the sleep desperate to overtake him. Suddenly a black BMW 5 series saloon screeches to a halt at the Airport entrance, a couple or three hundred meters to the left. Instead of a well-suited business man, desperately running for a late flight, 4 casually dressed, thick set men of varying ages and a tall thready woman jump out coiled ready to spring. The driver shouts his unheard instructions as he directs the rest in their search. There must have been some dissention, as the last few words are growled out by a fully woged Mauvais Dentes, his fangs glinting in the new sunlight, the rest woging in submission. He jumps back in the car and guns the engine before airport security can complicate matters. The woman, a Steinadler, takes up guard at the entrance, alert for their arrival. The rest of the men, unmistakably two Hundjäger and what he guessed to be an Apgadnieks soon separated and started down rows of cars, obviously looking for something looking for them! So the priest had friends. Just peachy!

Nick quietly opens the door and slides out into a crouch hiding behind the car. He hunches down low as a Hundjäger passes. With only a cursory look, the dazzling early morning sunlight reflecting off the windscreen means he missed Monroe curled up on the backseat. The searching mans' sloppiness is in their favour. He's rushing, bringing attention to himself. He's overly reliant on his nose in an environment drowning in the odours of combustion engines, petrol, aviation fuel and the imperfect misery of airport delays. Not paying proper attention to window condensation. Not feeling the car bonnets for heat. He's just another amateur playing detective. Once he'd gone onto another row of cars, Nick carefully opens the backseat door and wakes Monroe, with a guarding hand over his mouth. He wakes sluggishly, and the hand was needed. Mumbling he says "What the Hell's going on?"

"Shhhh, sorry, we've got unwelcome company."

More alert, Monroe whispers, "But how, like, aren't we incognito here?"

"The Priest must have called ahead. Sorry, but we're not getting on that flight here, not 'quietly' anyway, any ideas?"

"Ermm... Not without a bucket of coffee and a handful of aspirin!"

After shouldering their packs, they are slowly ducking through a line of cars to put as much distance between the searchers and themselves. Nick halts and motions with his arm for them to squat still.

He's tracing a finger across the map. "Listen, they're expecting us to leave Germany through one of these major airports, right?"

"Well yeah, local airports won't do international flights to America, certainly not as regularly as we want..."

"Exactly, but if we get to the train station here..." Nick points on the map.

"How is that going to help us? Last time I checked trains hadn't upgraded to the 's Jules Verne Train Service...!" a little sarcasm infiltrating his reply. Nick looks confused. "Honestly my pop-culture gifts are wasted on you sometimes!" With a weary shake of the head "Trains can't fly..." he restates flatly.

With a roll of the eyes, Nick traces the train passage, "yeah but it does go over the border and to Zurich Airport" he stresses the _airport _as he adds, "And then we can be those _Magnificent Men_ in their lovely comfortable unguarded flying machines..." Nick hides a smirk.

"Did you just one-up me on pop-culture?"

"I don't know what you mean..."

Putting the map away he carefully lifts his head to evaluate their situation and hopes to god that there was a station entrance outside as well as inside the airport complex. He's most concerned about , their incredible eyesight could be a major problem and unfortunately she's been well positioned for over-watch. "Right... Train station that way about 500 meters, keep low..." He directs with a military style hand gesture. "After you Jason Bourne..." Monroe slowly smiles. Nick ignores him and moves off in a crouched awkward jog. He's careful of Monroe who stumbles as he struggles along, "Hang on dude, whatever happened to not leaving a man behind?" Monroe complains.

"Sorry bud, we're nearly there. We're going to have to do this quick and quiet."

Nick watches the woman carefully from his advantage and as he counts Monroe down, with a starting shove forces him across the open ground and heading into the station entrance. Her glance sweeps back over the now Monroe-less ground. And then he was covering the distance in a long striding sprint. Flush against the wall, he takes a sly check to make sure they've not been spotted and about to be ambushed. Happy they're clear he pushes a lumbering Monroe down into the station.

At the ticket office, Monroe takes over at Nick's insistence, "Entschuldigen Sie, Frau, kann ich bitte zwei einfache Tickets für den internationalen Flughafen Zürich haben?" _(Excuse me madam, can I have two one-way tickets to Zurich International Airport please?)_ He smiles at the pretty round face looking quizzically at him. "Stimmt etwas mit unserem Flughafen hier nicht?" _(Is there something wrong with our airport here)_ She states with a small laugh.

"Ja, mein Freund hier möchte unbedingt das Großmünster besuchen, bevor wir nach Amerika zurückkehren" _(Yeah, my friend here really wants to visit the Grossmunster before we go back to America) _Monroe then adds conspiratorially, "Er kann einfach nicht genug von der Legende von Karl dem Großen, Felix und Regula bekommen.. Und er ist ein absoluter Glasfreak..." _(He just can't get enough of the Charlemagne, Felix and Regula legend. And he's an absolute stained glass geek...)_ with a knowing roll of the eyes. The woman takes an appraising look at Nick, and with an artful arch of her eye brow, she quietly says "Sie machen Nerds jetzt süß" _(They make Nerds in cute now)_ Monroe bashful cough alerts Nick to a left-turn in the conversation. He looks at him inquiringly. "What was that about?"

"Nothing dude, just wondering why we were going to Zurich airport" He whispers back, collecting his freshly printed tickets and makes way for Nick who had the money. After paying in cash Nick smiles at the woman, saying "Danke" and picks up his ticket and follows Monroe who with a knowingly mischievous chuckle simply says, "Smooth." Shaking his head he gestures Monroe to the display board knowing he'd just been the butt of a joke somewhere.

Soon they're waiting on the platform for their train. They've taken a position hidden from the main promenade that remains visible to them. Nick is alert as he scans the ponderously fluid masses for familiar faces or the sudden rapid motion that indicates they've been sighted. It took way too long but as it got closer to departure time, a small crowd started to collect, hiding them more securely.

Eventually they're in their seats and none too late as Monroe has now sprung a leak. His hair is wet and mussy. His colour is missing in action and there is a slight but distinct tremor in his hands. Nick knew he'd exhausted the last of Monroe's energy, but here they were for '_Operation:_ _let's not get killed'. _"Why don't you try and get some sleep bud, you look... Well... exactly the opposite of that... I'll take first watch..." He gone for assured, but instead landed a tentative. "Dude, you must... be exhausted... your..." But he's gone and already sunken into the chair with that slow rhythmic breathing.

Good, now for home. Time to stop them, Adalind, spiralling... Maybe. Christ why hadn't he just listened to her? The unbidden memory of her scared, imploring eyes swim into view. Fear, Terror, all written across her face with total honesty and he'd still left her. He leans down and pulls out the small plastic wallet that contains his phone, the battery and SIM card that he'd separated and concealed in his sock. He spends a couple of minutes reassembling it. Then immediately removes the battery. What the hell does he tell her? You're right, I'm an idiot? I miss you? He spends another twenty minutes trying to compose a text that enthuses light and breezy rather than fucked as usual. He puts the battery back in, navigates the keys. He reads, and then re-reads his text. Vague but informative, Check. Non-specific yet light and breezy, Check. He hits send;

We've hit a bit of a hurdle here and can't fly out of our preferred destination. Making alternate arrangements. Will advise you of new plan as soon as settled. Taking Mr. Dietrich's favourite form of transport. Will be in touch Nx

He dismantles the phone and secludes it away in its constituent parts. His attention is drawn back to Monroe. He's quietly moaning in pain, thankfully though he doesn't draw attention from anyone else. Not that the trains over populated. They share the carriage with only a couple of others both nearer the farthest door. Nearest is a female office worker. Beige trench coat tied at the middle. Thick black stockings suggestively revealing themselves with crossed legs. Bushy strawberry blonde hair pulled into a high pony-tail. He takes a quick glance at the heart shaped face with delicate elfin features framed by small red rectangle lenses. Intently she's searching the sky as she raps a secret beat with a pen on pursed lips in search of her puzzle solution. Nick follows her gaze out of the same window searching for his own solution and hopes that Adalind can forgive him. Sleep takes him.

Kelly is pinned on the bed. Desperately she's trying to block his death defying escape attempts whilst trying to land baby talc on a squirming target. Barnes Wallis would be impressed with her ingenuity! And just like the inventor she did have a secret weapon. "Where is it? Where did you hide your nappy you demon spawn of hell?" The baby friendly tone and texture to her voice polar to the language being used, has Kelly giggling. Without looking up, her hand shoots out as she focuses on a clean nappy. '_I know I'm out of practice but seriously, C'mon'_ she thinks to herself. Eventually a nappy glides to her outstretched hand. _'Ha Ha' _she crows now you're mine, and with a deftly distracting raspberry blow of the tummy the demon is trussed-up. Suddenly remembering the text alert she heard mid-battle, and with hand out flat she looks to retrieve her phone. Concentrating on it, feeling the solidity of its weight she begins to envelope it. Simultaneously lifting and pulling with her will it unsteadily floats to her hand.

That needs practice. She's hit with a sunken guilty feeling. Nick. Just perfect, how Biesting typical! Its contents freeze her blood as her stomach plunges. The return call she makes is un-connectable. Repeating the action gets a similar result. Her breath catches, she can feel her heart trying to escape her chest. Tries again. Fails again. What if Nick's dying? She had been his last chance? Or his last call? Before... STOP! She hits the keys harder like she can punch the call through the digital airways to somehow connect. Same result. Her hammering heart screams in her ears. Her head is thudding with what-ifs? How could she have missed him? WHY WAS SHE SO DUMB? Echoing wind gushes with screwed eyes when the nausea slaps her. Bathroom quick... made difficult by blurring vision. She reaches the sink greeting it with dry heaving. The pulsating in her head is a drumming pain now. Each heartbeat is a fresh assault. Her stomach clenches. Her body rides the spasm as she pants.

_Opening her eyes, her cloudy vision settling onto —__**Gasps**__— Monroe spread over two seats, head resting against a padded arm. The rocking motion is interrupted with his twitching and he looks so grey. She can taste Nick's fear and guilt; His longing. His thoughts are immersed in her and Kelly. She can feel the caress of his —__**Shock**__— 'Love'... His breathing is long and slow. "Nick... Please, please Hear me...We're coming for you..." Her desperation surges in pain and impotency. A veil of fog falls, her last sight is of far off mountains from the framed window... _

She's immediately hitting speed dial for Rosalee. Come on, answer. Crap. She can't wait for her to phone back. She scoops up a rambunctious Kelly, his pre-packed (yes she's THAT mother!) diaper bag and her wool coat. Within a minute she has speed loaded Kelly and herself in the car and is impatiently waiting for the roller-door to cycle open.

As she pulls onto Hamilton Street her phone rings for the second time. Rosalee again, but she'll soon be there so she ignores it. Minutes later the knock of the door is hurriedly answered by the Fuchsbau, tension radiating from her in stormy waves, "Oh THANK god!" She says in a curtly relieved welcome.

"I've got news and it's about as good as normal..."

"You'd better get yourself in here and let's hear it..." She follows her into the lounge. Minutes later and with a cup of tea in each of their hands the message is relayed and being debated.

"So how long ago did you get the message?" a tinge of anxiety in her voice.

"About as long as it took to freak out was when I first tried ringing you and then get in the car and get my sweet lil' tush over here!"

"Sorry tell me again what Nick sent..." Rosalee knows her relief has barricaded all thought for now.

Adalind cranks up the phone and repeats the message verbatim. Sighs at the lack of further contact and then puts her phone in clear view on the coffee table. But not before again re-checking to ensure the sound was not muted and she had 'bars' on her reception. She physically ached with impatience of more news.

"Well at least they're alive!" before Rosalee accusatively says "What was Nick thinking getting Monroe mixed up in this?" bringing an unexpected rise of protection from Adalind, even if secretly she did agree with her.

"You know he would never intentionally put 'Roe in harm's way? He's his best friend!"

"Yeah, but he's a lightning rod for trouble!"

"Well, yeah, I don't think even he'd deny that"

"And have you considered, being best friends here, and them being Blutbad-Grimm friends there... in the old country trampling on tradition... Well that's something altogether different!" Rosalee blazed, the Fuchsbau below visible. She fought to regain control.

Adalind gave her time, Hell she'd already done these steps! Seeing her friend under control she softly reminds her, "You know there was no way you or I were ever going to keep Nick and Monroe from doing this..."

"You're right..." was her simple reply as she bowed her head in resignation. Adalind reached out, gently squeezing her hand for support, a gesture that seems to jolt Rosalee. "Anyway, you have enough to deal with considering, thought anymore about how you're going to tell Nick about... you know?"

What? Err? To be honest that had been the furthest thing from her mind. She was too busy reacting to this new set of dilemmas to be battle planning her last ones. "So what do you make of Dietrich's favourite transport?" she deflected. It didn't work.

"Nice try! So you're still in denial!" the Brunette let it slide though, "That's an easy one; Trains!"

"Trains? You mean they've taken a train out of Munich? What are they doing, sight-seeing?" Adalind's indignation is dripping from her reply.

"You'll see what he means come Christmas time!" Rosalee's tellingly vague answer suggested a story behind the warm smile.

"Well lets pray I get that chance, but if we know he's taken a train, where are they heading and why the diversion?" Adalind questioned.

"Verrat? Royals? Local villagers with pitch-forks? World ending Zombie apocalypse?" Rosalee pursed her lips, cocked to one side in deep consideration of these before bursting, "Maybe there's an international Clock convention somewhere?"

Adalind snorted her mouthful of tea.

They laughed openly together, in their shared anxiety. Soon they were hugging. Holding each other together, for the sake of themselves as well as the men they love.

Eventually...

"He's pulled the battery and SIM again, so there's no way to track them, but there is something else I have to tell you... And it sort of fits in with what you've said..." The uncertainty in Adalind's voice speaks volumes.

"Okay? I'm listening..."

"First of all, you remember the Zaubertränke I took Nick's powers with?" Adalind contritely reminds Rosalee.

"The one where Nick lost his powers, only to regain them through sleeping with his magically transformed partner, to then discover said-partner is now a homicidally resentful psychopathic witch hell bent on killing everyone she feels is at fault and steal away a witches child for an evil King..." Rosalee is deadpan as she finally adds, "No can't say that I do...!"

A warm flush bursts onto the blondes' cheeks as she diverts her eyes, "Does it feel hot in here?" Re-setting with a cough she continues, "Well, there was a small'ISH' unintended side-effect of the potion..."

Rosalee raises one disbelieving eyebrow, "Really, just the one?"

"Well other than the whole breaking-up of my Baby-daddy's previous relationship... Yeah..." Two can play at this game.

"How bad is this one?" she asks in fearful restraint.

"Nick and I developed a Psychic connection, a magical bond of sorts..." she blurts out.

"What?" Rosalee's shocked. "He never said..."

"It's really inconsistent and I haven't even begun to understand how it happened and if it can even be controlled but yeah, well there's that..." She cuts in. Unsure if she expected Rosalee just to believe her at face value. Is this how normal friendships work?

"Okay, walk me through it..." she replies.

"It started when Viktor had me magically locked in a dungeon for a bit of light torture and fun at the family Castle in Vienna..."

Rosalee eyes widen with a sharp intake of breath. A shade of sadness at the casual ease of that sentence surfaces, "I'm so sorry, I didn't know..."

"How could you, maybe Karma isn't the fickle bitch we pretend she is." Remorse soaked eyes look up from her lap. "I think because I conceived during the potion's use, it strengthened its potency, hence the resultant complications with Juliette and the remnant of our bond."

"Zaubertränkes and Grimms are... unpredictable."

Isn't that the truth thinks Adalind.

"Nobody deserves what you've been through and you know I'm sorry for whatever part I played in that." Understanding her guilt with a small reassuring touch, "But how does this help us now?"

With a quick thankful smile in reply she recounts her 'vision'. She feeds Rosalee hope but withholds how bad Monroe appeared. One, she doesn't want to worry her friend more than she is. And two she's not ready to discuss the metaphysical emotional fallout of what she 'felt' in his consciousness.

"...Which fits into a 'train' journey now I think of the motion, the seats and the window. Yes... they were definitely on a train!" She finishes with a swell of certainty.

"Did he look okay?" A pleading tone is in her voice.

"All paws and claws present..." injecting some awkward comedy, before adding seriously, "I couldn't see any physical injuries but he was curled up asleep," A reply worthy of any politician.

"Thank you Adalind..." Rosalee sinks and sighs in relief and a guilty shard pricks at the blonde. She holds firm, there was plenty of time for worry and recriminations, but first they needed to find the stupid pair!

With a jerk upright, "Do you think Trubel can help find them?"

"I've been thinking the same thing, she gave me her number but I don't know how much she or HW know about why they're over there, you know?"

"Got that covered, Trubel told them Nick was helping Monroe wrap up his Uncle's estate and the family business."

Adalind looks quizzically at the brunette musing if the reason sounds plausible.

Feeling the question inherent in the pause expands, "His Uncle Felix never married, has no living family other than on Monroe's side and they had been very close when he was younger. It'll work..." She assures her.

"Great, I'll text Trubel now." Already hitting her phone keys, and then with a "Fingers crossed!" presses the send key.

"How long do you think it'll take for her to reply?"

"I honestly don't know, she was out of town who knows where, so your guess is as good as mine..." She bites her lip anxiously.

"It's getting late, do you two want to stay here tonight, or are you heading back?"

"I don't want to impose 'Rose" she looks worriedly at their angel still sleeping in his car seat.

Seeing the anxious glance at Kelly, she assures her, "I've got the travel crib that we've had for, you know, Uncle and Aunty Duties... We've got a spare room so you'd be very welcome..."

She nods gratefully and gives her a deep hug. Neither of them wanted to be alone tonight.

Her sleep is fragile and fitful. Eyes roving rapidly under closed lids. _Running through invisible marshland, every forced stride sucking strength. Slowing succumbing. She catches a glance of that familiar dark tousled hair, now carrying a baby. Her crying tear stained face framed by those blonde curly locks that implore her heart and talks to her very soul. "Diana!" Out stretched hands beg the black leather coated figure to stay. But all he does is smile sadly, mouths 'goodbye', and slowly walks away. Her aching wail wakes her..._ The pillow is wet and salty from her saliva and tears, her breathing as she screams into that numbing cotton is chaotic. She gasps trying to regain her equilibrium, trying to find her centre; Nick. The realisation of that is now a wave of overwhelming and debilitating necessity. A Baby cries in the shadow of her thoughts.

The door had burst open revealing a stunned face looking from a crying Kelly to her friend currently levitating under a freely floating sheet, "Are you o..." dies in her shock. The sudden intrusion of the brunette into her waking nightmare breaks everything. With a startled jolt, Adalind is suddenly aware of whose crying and heavily drops onto the bed. Futile rage surfaces, no she was as far from fucking okay as it was humanely, or 'Wesenly', possible. That now familiar dryness is sucking at her mouth, like sand in her throat. The intestinal knot garrottes her thinking as the pain swells._ Falling forwards, the garrotting feels violent and final. Unable to gasp air, spots before her eyes, spreading, as blackness starts to overtake thought. Struggling, flailing arms. She feels the soft gelatinous give as he (or is it she) thumbs the attackers eye. She can't distinguish between Nick and her now. Interchangeable consciousness fighting for control. "Sleep..." She says as his will ceases its struggle. She can feel the crushing hands around her throat. She focuses on them and feels their steel. Her will she knots up in a ball that slowly prises those fingers apart and away. She twists in that deadly grasp. She brings open hands down into a hard chopping slap on either side of a Siegbarste's head. That loosens the grip and life giving air is gratefully sucked into their burning lungs. With renewed strength those hands fill with violent power, and she releases them in a deliberate slowly crushing grasp. So tight she can feel his blood pound, until that deadening crack halts everything. Weight drops heavily towards her, before an instinct to push away rises so not to be crushed from this falling tree of flesh. The brutal thrust of her will throws him against a door that gives under the force. The cold air makes her shudder, as she watches the man topple out of view, leaving a snow covered mountain range watching over a primal blue body of water... Her heart rate is settling and the suffocating blurring envelopes her._

Still frozen, the blonde shouts the name to rouse her from the numbness, "ROSALEE... we need to hurry... And I mean like now..." She stated with an absolute certainty. "Oh No Why?" was the shaky response.

"They're not alone... But I saw more... A sign for Ostrach, and there was a lake in the background..." She fights to regain the rhythm of her breathing.

Through silent tears she says with conviction "Right!"

Adalind grabs her phone as Rosalee starts to sooth the fussing Kelly. "Now, now little man, your Aunty 'Rose is here gumdrop." Kelly starts to mirror her calming smile and tone. The startled blonde looks at Rosalee curiously, "Gumdrop, really?"

"It seemed apt..." said with a mock challenge.

"Oh crap... Trubel's called." She states as she flicks through her phone before reading a text out loud;

What the Hell is going on? You're not at the loft. Where's Nick? Is there a problem? Call me as

soon as you see this... ASAP

"Oh well, here goes nothing..." She finds the number Trubel inputted and calls it. Astonishingly, it's answered almost immediately.

Slightly flustered by the connection, "T-Trubel, is that you?"

"Finally! Is everything alright? I went to the loft but you weren't there!"

"Me and Kelly - yes, Nick and Monroe - definitely not. And I'm at Rosalee's now."

"Okay I'll be there in twenty minutes..."

"No..." She interrupts Trubel, "You at HW now?"

Trubel slightly shocked, "Yes I am..."

"Good, you're more use there at the moment. Nick and Monroe are missing..."

Adalind puts them on loudspeaker and proceeds to update her on everything. Rosalee interjects as needed and eventually they have Trubel caught up until the most recent nightmare and reestablishment of their psychic bond.

"Hang on... You're got a psychic link with Nick?" Trubel is still processing. Slowly.

"We can talk about that later. We they got on a train at Munich airport. And they're heading well, somewhere else. But look for a mountain range, and somewhere called Ostrach and a large lake."

"Okay. Got that..."

"As soon as you've got anything, call us back straight away." She begs her.

"Of course... I'm always late to the party - Why can't I leave you lot alone for five minutes?" She jokes.

Rosalee answers "You know us..."

The call ends.

"All we can do now is wait.., Tea? The default worry drink of the ages. Adalind nods and they quietly tread downstairs to bide time.

"Who was that?" Meisner asked in his deep timbre.

"That was Adalind, It's Nick and Monroe, they're missing."

"You never did tell me what they were doing in Germany exactly. Care to elaborate?" Piercing eyes search Trubel's face.

"I did, they've gone to sort out Monroe's Uncles shop." She daren't look him in the eye. He knew her too well. She kept her focus on the keyboard she was navigating.

"Him of the Grimm books who Black Claw murdered here before you went to Chile?" Trubel nodded. Time to turn the tables, "Why did I have to go to Chile exactly, I thought we had someone down there?"

"We did, until we didn't. They had an urgent covert job in Europe." His vagueness in the answer suggested he knew more than he was letting on. He just had a frustratingly excellent poker face. "I thought all our missions were covert?" It had been a particularly peculiar phrase to use she thought.

"Yes, but some missions need to be covert from our employers too. Anyway, run the facial recognition software, we'll find them..."

Starting to upload the hours of multiple CCTV Source-feeds that the Airport and its train station provide, she thought he'd agreed surprisingly easily. Once the program had cycled she put the search into motion, looking for the current incarnations of Felix Dietrich and Frederick Calvert. As the search produced possibilities she diligently reviewed them with eyes-on. Eventually the ticket booth camera furnished her with the pictures she wanted. Now she had clear and unequivocal evidence that they were alive as of yesterday. Linking the passports and facial shots allowed the programme intuitively to map their progression through the station and onto a train whose ultimate destination was bound for Zurich. Was it their destination though or a feint? They had paid in cash. Made sure the rental was back so no GPS trace. No active phone signals. Smart. It was a large airport, so they can get lost in the crowds, albeit downside was increased digital security. Stuttgart was still a possibility. "No, I'm guessing Zurich..." she announces to no one in particular, calculated risk then.

Then noticing a small detail, easily missed if she'd just been scanning the information, an alarm goes off in her head loud. These passports have been tagged twice with searches. Once was her tag, but twenty-four hours ago, they'd been tagged by another search by this office. Eve? Meisner? Was this friendly or professional interest? Whichever, she needed to play clever. She hated these complications, the need to compartmentalise. It was probably why she preferred the clarity of the mission-orientated HW. Her emotions were grounded in Nick and his family and she would do anything for them, for her family. A discrete smile forms with that thought. Until she zero's in on Meisner's one-sided conversation, "... You picked them up? ...Understand... If you have to move from shadowing to involvement, do so, he's too important an asset for the future... Copy that."

It wasn't unusual for Meisner to run more than one operation concurrently from 'ops' but not with this much ambiguity. She couldn't help but feel that was a clear indication that he'd been ahead of the curve all this time. You underestimated him at your own cost, but where did he sit on this? Ally or antagonist? Whichever it is, he was playing this very close to his chest for whatever reasons he deemed necessary, so she was going to follow his lead, because there was something as important as family; Trust.

Nick is woken by a jolting train. Angry at himself for leaving them vulnerable, he'd fallen asleep. Not even feeling rested. Fool. He'd remembered dreaming about Adalind and Kelly, as visceral as being there. He had felt the depth of her worry and anxiety and yearning for him. A rueful chuckle accompanies his suspicion it was more like hoping, or projecting. Well this wasn't helping anything; he needed a gallon of coffee, STAT. Exercise time, forcing himself to move, feeling the dryness in his bones, he stretches with a running pop of joints. He heads for the buffet car, a last checking glance over his shoulder. Walking with the sway of the carriage he dances down the aisle towards the smell of coffee.

Waiting for his turn to be served he scans the menu board with the small amount of German that Monroe has instilled in him. It's a struggle but he has managed to absorb some, even if it's by osmosis, "Kaffee Americano bitte" in his stilted American accent.

The smell is fresh and rich and waking up his senses. Hands around the coffee cup, leaching its heat, Nick is lost recharging at its fountain of life. He spends five minutes or maybe it was an hour just sipping at the bitter sustenance. Eventually he's aware that the train is lurching in the shunting pulls that tell him they are moving off from a scheduled stop. He'd spaced out yet again... This was getting ridiculous! He immediately empties his cup and purchases two more; one to wake Monroe up with, one to wake up his comatose mind. Heading back he realises just how sparsely populated the train is. He's surprised but grateful. It means that the two heavy set men in dark suits were very easy to spot. The fluid ripple of muscles under the suit cloth spoke of threat. Large hands grip on each chair to propel themselves forward in grunting ape-like strides. They just can't catch a break. He had to time this right, he started matching them stride for stride, stalking the hunters. First car cleared, heart pumping its war beat. His head is clear as ice. As it always is just before battle, before the Grimm takes control, before time slows and there's nothing but reaction and violence. Genes? Training? Experience? Right now... who cares, he certainly doesn't, not now, and maybe never again. He will not lose anymore family.

They're rough. Aggressive. Pushing and shoving through any blockages. Staring down any complaints. Focused on the next seat, the next face, the next target. Lucky for Nick, never thinking to watch their six.

He knew the next carriage hadn't got passengers until the end, from when he made his way to the buffet car. Well at least none, before the stop, calculated gamble. The next connecting walkthrough was ideal territory. His killing ground.

The first guy is through, time to quicken his pace.

The second guy has released the sliding door, he doesn't hear it shut as he expects, and that draws his eyesight. And then they're looking at each other. But Nick has that crucial advantage of recognition while they're yet to register who the monster is in the shadows behind them. It's long enough. A crack sounds as his knuckles connect with the guys' hyoid. Anything other than a Seigebaste and the spasm would be the prelude to his death. He woges in pain. His breath is warm and stale on the air moving between them. Nick twists and falls to a knee propelling all of his weight behind the elbow strike to the man's inner knee. It's deliberate and brutal. The knee buckles and gives way, felling the giant. Nick explodes from his crouch. Leaping the space between them, his knee drives savagely upwards into the face. He can feel the wet crunch of nasal bone. It's a murderous pleasure. His kick fires the man backwards and onto his front. He drops onto his prey, impaling his back with a knee. Jerking back the head with fistful of hair his Grimm howls free. A vicious punch to the base of the gorillas' neck ends his life with a deadening snap.

"Hey, what's tak..." The second man has backtracked. He immediately woges and is rushing him. Too quick to get a strike in, Nick does get a defensive block set. It clatters him backwards. The Seigebaste tank hurtles forward again. Ready this time he slides sideways and pivots. The attackers' momentum takes him stumbling beyond Nick and over his colleague. As he tracks his trajectory he launches a focused elbow strike, supported with his opposing hand, into the spine. It forces a grunt through the spasmed ribcage of the spread eagled man. As he regains his feet, Nick doesn't let him reset, chases him. It's a testament to the Seigebaste's height that he has to take a running jump off his felled compatriot to get his arms up and around the thickset muscular neck in a sleeper hold. It's a huge mistake. He feels the powerful contraction, immediately before he's thrown headlong into a wall with an explosion of exhaled air. He groggily gets to his feet. Before grasping hands have his neck and shirt collar, dragging him onto the tips of his toes and then beyond. Pushed back savagely, a sickening eruption of pain splits his mind. Eyes water and bile surfs the pain to his gut. As he's pulled back into whispering distance of the Seigebaste's spittle, a heavily accented "Time to die scum..." prickles down his spine. He is smashed into the exit door, doubling down on his splitting skull. He crumples to the floor when released. A loop wraps around his throat. Darkness begins to overtake him as he struggles to get fingers in between his skin and the tightening strap. Consciousness melts away, as his stomach contracts around a ball of un-yet experienced agony. It explodes. So severe he brings up his knees in a vain attempt to trap the pain from invading the rest of his body and senses. Hanging there falling farther from the surface of reality he feels that twisting tearing foreign consciousness ascending. It's burning sears through his nerves. —_SLEEEEEEP_— _ rings through his mind. And he's opening his eyes in_ _Monroe's spare room? He stayed here for long enough, it definitely is, but Why? How? And more importantly what the F*#%!? Kelly's crying. Hang-on KELLY is CRYING!? In the crib next to him. He reaches for him. Sees familiar well-manicured nails... He glimpses a look in the dressing table mirror. The warm he feels, the security, he knew he recognised it. Then Panic! OH NO, not this again, it hadn't happened for so long. Is he dead? And now he's swimming in a dark ocean once again..._

In this wind tunnel fresh wet air is sand-blasting his face. Okay. Focus. The door alarm is going off as it freely flaps to and fro. He's presuming that has something to do with the now sudden Seigebaste-free environment. They cannot afford for this train to get stopped so he carefully leans and pulls shut the door. Blood? He's heard of _'muscle-memory' _but not _'muscle-NO-memory'_! He removes his jumper and T-shirt. After wiping down the blood splatter he dumps the remaining dead Seigebaste in the toilet, with his T-Shirt. No ID on the body. He pulls his jumper back on and checks his work. It's not crime-scene perfect but it will suffice any cursory examination.

With the conductor likely fast approaching to the alarm, Nick makes a swift exit, stage left. There may be more on the train so he needs to get to Monroe. He was at risk. Vulnerable. Starting to speed through the carriages his worry is keeping in step with each anxious stride. He's coming up on their carriage and Monroe's at the other end. Halfway through a relieved breath he chokes on the appearance of two more business suited brutes. Well one brute and one brut_ette_. Well actually not even a Brut_ette. _The latter was a raven headed dark, well, beauty in a slim fitting trouser suit that shadowed her lithe stature. A dichotomy in her civilised apparel, the whole demeanour was one of a wild animal. She stalked not walked, smelling her prey's scent on the air. A predator. And she was within a couple of seats of Monroe even as he entered. The suits are clearing the car of the only other two occupants. She rips up the diminutive female office-worker by the lapels of her Mac. Her glasses go flying off as she is dismissively thrown backwards towards the partitioning door. Stumbling gracelessly on heavy clod military boots. They were too close. And Monroe wasn't even stirring. He could see his feet, still and unmoving. He won't reach him in time. Fear is now driving every desperate step after step. Throwing himself forward. It cannot end like this. He knew he was TOO LATE. EVERYTHING HAS GONE TO SHIT, DAMN IT! Breaking into a run the woman sees him and woges into a Balam. Her black and silver fur is striking. And in complete contrast to the light brown and scarred hell beast that was now reaching for his friend.

"MONROE...!" Nick desperately shouts.

Startled into finally stirring amidst the shouted warning and the pandemonium in the carriage he's just in time to block the death strike. But in his frail state it's only a temporary block. The exhausted flailing of a dying wildebeest at the watering hole. The Höllentier draws back the K-Bar again and is silhouetted standing over the blazing orbs of Monroe just as the world turns to black.

As the train enters a tunnel the lights flicker and the artificial illumination alters the landscape significantly.

The raven-headed woman is prostrated a body length away from Nick's feet. She recovers to all fours and ferociously shakes out the shock from her senses. He tracks her trajectory to find the reason. It becomes obvious as soon as he looks up from the recovering Balam. The petite office-worker has shed her camouflage and is stood behind the drowning Höllentier. His head jerked backwards gurgling on the retractable blade of her vambrace protruding out through his throat. His knife drops heavily from a limp hand.

She lets the blank featured man slump and slip off her blade. Monroe woges and her vibrant cyan eyes dissolve into soulless voids. Leaving him agog.

She steps over the prone figure in her military boots. Her tousled hair is now free and wild. The thick black stockings reach black suede shorts. A leather padded vest top over a white T-shirt held several throwing knives. Her delicate face belied the malice. She looked all sorts of beautifully lethal. The Balam had fatally underestimated who the apex predator in the room was. Wide eyes and gasp were simple proof.

In a rhythmic mono-toned choppy accent, "You're both Grimms? Souložit!" Her face twisted from one deadly black-eyed assassin to another. Her decision is made, followed immediately by her strike at Nick. He blocks it with both arms crossed and plants a kick into her chest. With feline agility she twists as her momentum throws her at the new Grimm arrival. She meets her with a punch to the face that stuns before the Grimm could land one of her own. She's found the separation needed to reassess her options. There was none. Only death for them or her. So she may as well make this EPIC! "I'm Alžběta. I'll be your Reaper for today's bloodshed..."

Full lips pouted. "Sigh, now you're just trying too hard kittykat..." was the silky Latino accent of the sneered response.

Using the chair as a spring board she launches directly at Nick again. He's a man. He won't expect it. She was wrong. He dodges her cross punch and is gambolling down the aisle from his reflexive throw. The woman has pushed past the male Grimm to chase down the Balam. If she thought she could escape she was mistaken. There is a demonic glint in her clenched jaw-line and an unreserved cruelty as she grits her teeth. She throws a one-two chest combo. It hardly stutters her. Kicks are difficult in this restricted passageway and easily blocked. The blonde slips below a block with a rapid punch combo to loins. The Balam watches the bladed wrist carefully. She throws a right-cross. The intended strike is caught by the girl-Grimm, her wrist twisted outwards savagely. With her bladed wrist she throws a sweeping slash. The raven hair whips as she pivots and hip tosses the blonde. But Instead of landing in a mess, she cartwheels on her unbladed hand, her rotating foot coming down on the back of the Balam's head with a clubbing chop.

The blonde lands on her feet, and is agile enough to step over the intended foot sweep from Alžběta. She hunches over her, intending to drag her upwards. That was her mistake. She hurls the back of her head up and back into the lower jaw of the Grimm. She immediately launches herself into a backflip which allows a head strike with cartwheeling feet that sends the blonde staggering backwards and beyond Nick.

He approaches with controlled head strikes. She's forced to desperately block as she cedes ground. With a ferocious combo-punch drawing her defence to her upper body he connects with a clubbing back handed head strike. The word _"Drop..." _was the second thing that went through her head. The first being the sudden piercing pain of a curved throwing knife. It's entered through her eye socket. Even now she has followed the flight back to the strawberry-blonde Grimm's finger pointing directly at her. Dead centre. A satisfied smile spreads from her eyes to her mouth. She sinks into the abyss of those eyes as the darkness of the world overtakes her. A Blanket of quiet blackness. Then nothing, forever...

"Thanks for the assist there Lara..." Monroe throws out a hand to shake, and is shocked at the spinning violence of the small blonde, blade drawn backwards poised to strike.

"Woo there Man. Or should I say Woman! We're on the same side, I think. Yeah! You killed it out there..." He throws a respectful fist in the air at the controlled aggression he'd just witnessed. At her returning sneer he cocks a look at Nick pleading for help, "Well she's definitely a Grimm, no doubt, she's got that homicidal levity and everything!"

"Well since I doubt this is just a convenient happenstance we've met..." Nick turns to her with a questioning look, "so, who should I be thanking?"

"The names Maya if you really need to know."

"Well Maya we're thankful for the assist" Monroe restates.

She scoffs brutally, "Yes of course you are, I heard an American Grimm and his pet Dog had been trampling their scent all over my patch..." Well any charade is busted, as Nick and Monroe share a troubled look.

"Hey that's just plain intolerant and uncalled for!" Monroe growled, eyes blazing as sudden as his anger. She matched the unspoken aggression breath for breath. "Nick, maybe we should just..." He gestures with his head for them to go aside.

Maya whips round to pierce Nick with a steeling look. "Are you Nick Burkhardt? Your mother was Kelly Burkhardt?"

A shadow of sadness passes behind his returning eyes. He nods simply. He was too tired for games.

"I was sorry to hear about her death... I worked with her." She checks her watch and then takes a quick look through the nearest window. "We need to jump the train here we've already caused too much noise..." She starts to drag the blond man up onto the chair, "Well, don't just stand there, Help Me!"

Within a minute or two, they've strategically positioned the two bodies in 'sleeping' poses making sure any obvious signs of death were hidden. Like a knife in the eye. Looking at woman who now wore her beanie, "I liked that beanie bitch!" She turns and scrutinises Monroe's palor, "can you make it?"

"Well I'm not going to do a Lance Armstrong anytime soon, but don't worry I'll manage..." he says.

"Good boy" she replies, with no hint of sarcasm or smile. Monroe gives her a half-look unable to read the new arrival.

There's a tannoy announcement that coincides with a definite change in the gears as the train pauses and shudders in its slow down. "This is the last station before the border, it's time to get off..." She sees the hesitancy in their expressions, "Listen, it's up to you, but I'm getting off before these stiffs alert the police..." She's already making her way to the exit.

"Nick, we don't know who this 'woman' is or who sent her, what if she's some sort of Trojan horse? You know, the enemy of my enemy is sometimes still, well my enemy!" He finishes.

"Listen if you have a better idea I'll take it, but I haven't? Do you? Anyway she's right about one thing, we're never getting across the border on here now..." he whispers conspiratorially.

"I wish I did dude," He seems resigned, "quite apt though?" There's a suggestive double-pump of the eyebrows. "C'mon dude, it's so Agatha Christie!" He announces, "We've starred in our very own Murder-mystery style Orient express journey to Switzerland!"

Nick pushes him forward towards the door shaking his head at his literature puns thinking not even crossing a sociopathic Grimm-gal can dampen his friend for too long.

As they pull from the border crossing check point, Maya indicates it's okay to make some noise now. The cold steel feels wonderfully cooling to Monroe. The last of his energy expended hopping into the false compartment at the truck stop. Their anxiety had peaked too. Now they had totally crashed, completely at the mercy of this Grimm with her cold dead eyes. Whispered conversations in foreign languages scattered amongst periods of uncomfortable silence.

Maya passes a flask, "that's for your friend, it'll help until he can get to a healer" she offers but the emphasis on _friend _is hostile.

"What is it?" He asks.

"Some herbs; Acacia, a bit of crushed ginger and mandrake root, a small amount of _Jay, _crushed human bile sac," Watching Nick's face plunge to the depths of revolted, she adds, "And some Brandy to help with the taste..."

In answer to his sceptical look Maya clarifies, "It acts as a stimulant for Blutbaden... Grimms as well actually. It won't cure but it does help." She takes a proving sip herself.

Assured momentarily he helps Monroe sit up and take a few un-protesting gulps of the flask's contents. He shudders and closes his eyes again.

"That Balam didn't sound very German?" he asks her.

"Her name was Czech and so was the profanity!" she answered without taking her eyes off the knife she was sharpening.

"Ahhh.., you said you knew my mum?"

Her thoughts disrupted, she now looks up, "Yeah, I helped her in Greece with some currency issues."

"Getting rid of the _Coins of Zakynthos_?" He asked.

"So you know about the coins then?" She said with an impressed nod.

"I'm just glad somebody had her back, thank you..." he stated with genuine gratitude.

She tilted her head in recognition of such a raw emotion, "She was badass your mother" she added ruefully.

"That she was... I lost her for a long part of my life..." surprised by his own honesty, even he heard the catch in his voice.

Maya instinctively understood the emotion behind his assertion. "It's a solitary life as a Grimm. To hunt, we have to leave love behind. Anything else is a threat to them and just a weakness to exploit for us." It was said with ice. And it made Nick shiver.

"I don't agree Maya, whatever your story is, mine is better for the family I have in it..." he states bluntly.

"Family? A Grimm and Blutbad? Travelling with your attack dog and you still need saving! That's not family, its amateur hour." She returns with some famous Latin heat.

"Don't Maya! He is my family. I'm not going to even try and change what's in your heart, don't think you can judge mine..." His voice is genuine and tired, something that surprises her in its welcome novelty.

"I don't care Nick. I owe you, or at least I owe your mother... And seeing I cannot repay her..."

"Owe her what if you don't mind me asking?

She seems to consider this carefully. "She freed me of Drauz and the Laufer" is her measured response.

"Freed you? The resistance took you prisoner? And didn't my mum worked with the Laufer..?" He toiled with his lethargic thoughts.

"Long story but the Laufer run by Drauz was very different. He killed my parents and used me. Your mum helped me get my revenge... permanently!" Stated with a cold finality.

"He wasn't a Royal by any chance? And I'm glad she could help you." He finishes.

She gives a small reassuring smile, "No he wasn't a Royal, nor am I. Meisner sent me. Evidence aside, you are safe, get some rest, I'll wake you when we get to Zurich..."

"We're still going there?" He said still surprised by her revelation.

"Yeah, it wasn't wholly a bad plan, so I took the liberty of getting you and Mr Dietrich a couple of tickets back to Portland. Now rest..."

She was right, his screaming nerves had surrendered, his muscles laden with exhaustion. Before settling, he did recover the phone and after assembling it, he sends a message to Adalind that comforts his own heart...

Don't know how you pulled it off

but got help from your OB-GYN.

We're safe on our travels. Nx

Sleep soon took him as he capitulated utterly.

"Rosalee... 'Rose... 'Rose..." She'd rushed to her, shaking her awake, dripping relief, before bursting "They're safe 'Rose, and they're on their way home..." She was crying as she relayed the happy news. Sobbing and shuddering in tearful respite. The brunette joined her in her emotional release tear for tear.

At the departure gate, Maya gave them their tickets and boarding passes. "Well it's been a blast gentlemen, stay out of Europe though, you're a little too noisy for the locals!"

The understatement elicited smiles all-round. "Yeah, I'd like to say it's been a pleasure... but I'll settle for utterly terrifying and intimidating... Bye..." Monroe gestured a salute towards Maya.

In what was potentially the first piece of genuine emotion to reach her eyes, "Bye lassie..." was her reply. It was given with a perfect whimsical smile at his returning frown and huff before they both laughed.

Shaking her hand Nick said "Bye and again thank you."

"No problem" she replied, as he started to pull away. Then she turned him back with a gentle grasp of his arm. "When you get home, tell Meisner, we're equal! Hasta nunca..." And the steely eye was back as she turned and dissolved into the crowd.

"Remind me to stay away from her! Like very, very far away. I want notification when she's on the same continent!" Monroe directs at Nick as they find their seats. "She was like proper Old school... I mean Old Testament Grimm! Capital _**G**_... capital _**F**_!"

"Whaaat?" Monroe answers Nick's questioning grimace and adds, "As in Quick, FETCH me my Axe I have a hankering to behead someone..!"

"What am I, chopped bloody liver?"

"No man, but she scared the literal crap out of me!" he laughed mockingly.

Adalind admits, "We should be getting home. You don't have to stay with us tonight..." With the guy's apparent safety, her previous melancholy over her returned Hexenbiest has resurfaced. Who wants to babysit a Hexenbiest? Why did she wait so long? Just so much bad timing - story of her life!

Rosalee looks at her, drowning in her own shame, "His name is Tony. In case you wondered. He was part of a group I used to crash with for a while in Seattle. Sort of a low point in my life. No money, bad relationship. Experimenting with... too many things." Too much jay bubbling through her veins, just an ocean of regret, she would wish away if she could. "If only I could just bury that entire part of my life. You ever do anything when you were young that you regret?"

How did the song go? _Regrets, yeah I have a few_... she's a Hexenbiest with two children by two different fathers, and currently she only knows where one child and one father are and neither was related!

But when she was a kid, no, she was an honours student more interested in breaking free of her mother's world than repeating her mistakes. University was supposed to be her bolt cutters to that life. Only to end up working for a firm who valued her Hexenbiest over her grades, manipulated by a half-royal that only prized what the Hexenbiest could do for him.

It was a joke. She was a joke. But her childhood, then she still had dreams. "Not really. I was kind of a nerd student. I guess I wanted to prove to my mother that I was nothing like her, so I became a lawyer."  
Rosalee looks into her mournful eyes "How you feeling?"  
"About the same." She replies.  
She had searched, even knowing it was probably hopeless, "I haven't found anything that could help yet."  
Adalind already knew the answer. Had known the answer, even when Rosalee had thrown her that lifeline. She'd had a head start on her by a hot minute and still didn't have anything to go on. "You won't. Dead Hexenbiest isn't easy to come by..." We're just not that easy to kill, ask Nick and his friends. Yes, let's all inwardly groans at how complicated her life is. 

The telephone destroys her moping.

Her friend squeezes her hand and gestures an apology as she answers, "Spice and Tea..."

Instantly Adalind sees Rosalee's face shed hours of tension. "Monroe? Where are you?" 

Oh my god, it's them! She's receiving the phone with trembling hands. "Nick?"

"Hey, how are you and Kelly?" She can hear the exhaustion and tension in his voice.  
Adalind is hotly aware that she isn't alone, "We're good. How are you?" How Lame?  
"We are", there's a pregnant pause, "coming home. Anyway, I just wanted you to know that we're okay, and I'll see you both soon." He can hear her relief. "I'm so sorry I've made you worry Adalind" there was an authentic undertone to the quality of his voice. Yet more static. There was so much more being said in the silent world between words. Something was very wrong. "Safe flight" was all she could manage in reply. 

Rosalee takes back the phone and ends the call with a heartfelt "I love you." She smiled with such breathtaking relief.

They ran to each other and hugged in unguarded joy. What they shared was unfathomable and led to a sisterhood born in the strength of those who wait at home.


End file.
